Xi's State Visit To Japan Postponed
Japan and China have agreed to postpone Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Japan due to the coronavirus outbreak. Xi had been scheduled to arrive in Japan in early April.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in Tokyo on Thursday that Japan and Beijing will reschedule the visit.
Suga also said, "We've agreed that the two countries need to prioritize the containment of the spread of the new virus. We need to fully prepare together to make President Xi's state visit a success."
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said both countries will work closely to figure out the new schedule.
The state visit had been in the works for more than half a year. Japan requested the meeting during the G20 summit last June as part of an exchange aimed at improving bilateral ties.
China has delayed one of its key political events, the annual National People's Congress, as it tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Japan's government has also taken strict measures. It has called for all major events to be canceled or scaled back and took the unusual step of asking schools across the country to close.
