Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) meets with his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, in Tokyo in November 2020. | POOL / VIA REUTERS
Jul 20, 2026
When Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi visits Manila for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings this week, a familiar face will also be in attendance: his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
The two neighbors’ foreign ministers have traditionally held bilateral talks on the meetings’ sidelines. That’s doubtful this time, amid the countries’ ongoing row over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in November that Japan could hypothetically intervene militarily in a crisis over democratic Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.
Still, while it’s unlikely that Motegi and Wang — a former ambassador to Japan and fluent Japanese speaker — will formally meet, the venue offers the opportunity for at least some kind of interaction on the sidelines. Indeed, Motegi, who built a solid relationship with the Chinese foreign minister during his earlier 2019-21 stint as Japan’s top diplomat, will have a handful of chances.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
