By The South Asia Times

MANILA — Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Thursday he held his first conversation in more than eight months with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, signaling a tentative resumption of high-level dialogue as relations between the two Asian neighbors remain strained.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of ASEAN foreign ministers' meetings in Manila, Motegi said he briefly spoke with Wang on Wednesday as the two crossed paths between separate meetings with Southeast Asian counterparts, according to Kyodo News.

The exchange marked the first publicly disclosed contact between the two foreign ministers since November 2025, when remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan triggered a sharp diplomatic dispute with Beijing.

Motegi declined to provide details of the discussion but said Japan remained committed to maintaining communication with China despite ongoing tensions.

"Given the important roles Japan and China play in regional peace, it is essential that we continue engaging in dialogue," he said.

The brief encounter has fueled speculation that it could pave the way for a meeting between Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China, in November.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have deteriorated since Takaichi said in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, potentially prompting Japan's Self-Defense Forces to support the United States.

China condemned the remarks as interference in its internal affairs and responded by tightening restrictions on travel to Japan and imposing export controls on rare earth minerals and other dual-use products.

The diplomatic dispute has largely frozen high-level government exchanges between the two countries.

However, Beijing appeared to downplay the significance of the latest contact. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, speaking at a regular press briefing on Thursday, declined to confirm the conversation in Manila, saying only that Wang had no plans to hold formal talks with the Japanese side.

The two foreign ministers were attending a series of ASEAN-related meetings in the Philippine capital, where regional security and geopolitical tensions featured prominently on the agenda.

Separately, Motegi revealed that he also briefly spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during Tuesday's ASEAN gala dinner.

"As longtime acquaintances, we exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional issues," he said.

According to Japan's Foreign Ministry, it was the first contact between the Japanese and Russian foreign ministers since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

While acknowledging that relations with Moscow remain difficult, Motegi said dialogue between neighboring countries remained important.

"Russia is our neighbor. It is important to appropriately manage our bilateral relationship, including through government-to-government communication and cultural exchanges," he said.

Meanwhile, Wang used meetings with ASEAN foreign ministers to criticize what Beijing views as growing military alignments in the Asia-Pacific.

According to China's Foreign Ministry, Wang urged regional countries to "never allow militarism to stage a comeback," an apparent reference to Japan's recent defense policy changes under Takaichi's government.

He also called on Southeast Asian nations to reject "unjustified external interference" and oppose the formation of "exclusive small groupings," comments widely interpreted as criticism of the Quad security partnership involving the United States, Japan, Australia and India.

The Quad foreign ministers, who also met in Manila, reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation with ASEAN members on regional security, economic development and maritime issues.