Japan and China offered conflicting accounts over whether their foreign ministers held a brief exchange during last week's ASEAN regional meeting.
Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters last week that he had briefly discussed bilateral relations with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi when they ran into each other during the meeting in the Philippines.
On Monday, however, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that during Wang Yi's visit to Manila, no meeting with the Japanese side was scheduled and no brief exchanges took place on site.
The differing accounts reflect the sharp deterioration in ties since November, when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comment about Taiwan angered China. Motegi said Japan remains open to dialogue at all levels, and Takaichi told a news conference on Monday that talks continue at various levels.
