Beijing announced that Takeshi Iwaya, the foreign minister of Japan, will go to China on Wednesday to meet with Wang Yi, his local counterpart.
Iwaya is making his first trip to China since taking over as Tokyo’s top diplomat earlier this year.
“China is ready to work with Japan… to focus on common interests, strengthen dialogue and communication, deepen practical cooperation (and) properly manage differences,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
Beijing would “strive to build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship that meets the requirements of the new era”, she added.
“The Chinese side attaches great importance to the foreign minister’s visit, and Chinese leaders will meet with the foreign minister,” she said.
China and Japan are important commercial partners, but in recent years, tensions over military spending and territorial disputes have strained relations.
Parts of China were brutally occupied by Japan before and during World War II, and Beijing blames Tokyo for not making amends for its past.
Beijing frequently becomes enraged when Japanese officials visit the Yasukuni shrine, which honors war dead, including convicted war criminals.
As a safeguard against Beijing, Tokyo, a historic and important US ally, has been growing its alliances.
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