Relations between China and Japan are at a critical stage, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart on Friday as the pair discussed thorny issues including Japanese nationals detained in China, food import bans and semiconductor curbs. "China-Japan relations are currently at a critical point: advance or be left behind," Wang told Kamikawa, according to a readout of the talks issued by the Chinese foreign ministry. It is hoped that the Japanese side will establish an objective and correct perception of China and pursue a positive and rational policy towards China." In their first one-to-one talks in eight months, Kamikawa strongly urged the lifting of import restrictions Beijing imposed on Japan food products in the wake of the Fukushima water release. She also called for the early release of Japan detainees in China.

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Persons: Wang Yi, Wang, Japan's Yoko Kamikawa, Kamikawa Organizations: Southeast, ASEAN, Saturday's East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, Japan, Astellas Pharma Locations: China, Japan, Laos, Saturday's, Beijing, Tokyo