China and Japan have offered conflicting accounts of whether their foreign ministers interacted during last week's ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, exposing the depth of diplomatic strains between the two neighbours.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said after the meeting that he had briefly spoken with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, after the two crossed paths at the gathering in the Philippines. According to Motegi, the exchange included a discussion on bilateral relations, though Japanese media later described it as largely limited to greetings and pleasantries.
