China said Wednesday it hopes the new Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will work toward "sound and steady" bilateral ties after their recent deterioration over tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
"China attaches importance to China-Japan relations and we hope the new Cabinet can work together with China and promote bilateral relations to develop along the track of sound and steady development," Foreign Minister spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference in Beijing.
Although the two countries will mark next month the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties, there is no celebratory mood as Beijing protested Tokyo's criticism of its response to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last week.
During large-scale Chinese military drills conducted in areas encircling Taiwan following Pelosi's trip, five ballistic missiles fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone, triggering a protest from Kishida.
Meanwhile, Taiwan media reported on Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle, which includes new Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Masanobu Ogura, who was tapped as minister in charge of tackling the declining birthrate.
Hamada, who returned to the job after holding the post between 2008 and 2009, visited Taiwan last month and met with President Tsai Ing-wen, the reports said.
Ogura visited the island in May, the reports added, ensuring the new Cabinet is seen in a positive light.
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