BEIJING, Sept 28 – China has urged Japan to maintain a “healthy and stable” relationship with Beijing after former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership race Friday.
Ishiba is set to become Japan’s next prime minister when Japanese lawmakers convene on October 1.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Friday that the “sustained, sound and steady” development of China-Japan relations is in both countries’ interests, characterizing the path as “the only right choice.”
China, he said, hopes Japan will “have an objective and right perception of China, take an active and rational China policy, take concrete efforts to comprehensively advance the strategic relationship of mutual benefit, and work with China to promote the sustained, sound and steady development” of bilateral relations.
