Aso set to hold talks with Hu on Oct. 23

Written by Writer on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

Aso set to hold talks with Hu on Oct. 23

Prime Minister Taro Aso is expected to hold his first summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Oct. 23 in Beijing on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting, government sources said.

He also plans to meet with Premier Wen Jiabao.

Aso will try to strengthen strategic relations while also exchanging views on bilateral issues such as the food poisoning involving Chinese-made dumplings and the joint development of a gas field in a disputed area in the East China Sea, the sources said.

However, they said it is unlikely there will be any significant advances.

“It will just be an opportunity to meet,” one source said.

Aso is expected to arrive in Beijing on Oct. 23. The ASEM summit is scheduled for Oct. 24 and 25.

Japan has been asking Beijing to accelerate investigations into the food poisoning case involving pesticide-tainted frozen dumplings.

But the investigation has apparently been slowed down because Chinese authorities are busy dealing with another scandal involving milk contaminated with melamine.

Japan has been seeking to launch negotiations on concluding a treaty over the gas development project, but the China has been reluctant to get the talks rolling.