Japan and China hold first economic talks in six years

Japan and China held economic talks in Tokyo on Saturday. This was their first meeting in six years. The discussions aimed to reduce tensions between the two nations, especially given increasing trade pressure from the United States. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said U.S. tariffs were not a major topic during the meetings. He emphasized that Japan and South Korea will continue to work together closely and keep communication open with the U.S. However, he did not share specific details about his conversation with China's representative, Wang. In related news, U.S. Senator Steve Daines was in China for trade discussions. He met with China's Vice Premier and will meet with Premier Li Qiang soon. Reports from Saturday's meeting suggest that there were no significant developments to announce yet. Analysts from HSBC noted that U.S. tariffs on China, which increased by 20% recently, remain a big issue. They pointed out that these tariffs have not been postponed or reduced, highlighting the ongoing challenges in U.S.-China trade relations.