China's top diplomat says new, old China-Japan problems intertwined

Yang Jiechi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office for China, addresses the U.S. delegation at the opening session of U.S.-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. March 18, 2021. Frederic J. Brown/Pool via REUTERS

Old problems in China-Japan relations are intertwined with new ones, and the challenges cannot be ignored if the countries wish to have a "healthy" relationship, China's top diplomat said on Tuesday.

A foreign ministry statement said Yang Jiechi, who spoke with Japanese national security chief Takeo Akiba on the phone, said both nations should "grasp the right direction, uphold win-win cooperation, focus on the long term, enhance security and build mutual trust".