DHAKA: A senior Chinese government official has secretly visited Japan for talks with Japanese officials aimed at improving bilateral relations damaged by an ongoing territorial row, a report said on Tuesday.

The talks involving a high-ranking official from the Chinese foreign ministry’s Asian division were thought to have been held in early October, Japanese news agency Jiji Press reported from Beijing, quoting Chinese government sources, says The Straits Times.

A high-ranking official from the Japanese foreign ministry attended the meeting, the report said.

A Japanese foreign ministry official declined comment on the content of the report, saying, ‘Japan and China have been making various exchanges at various levels’.

BDST: 2055 HRS, OCT 15, 2013
RoR/JCK