TOKYO,   (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi agreed on Tuesday to step up cooperation and communication between the two countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic is still raging around the globe, the international landscape is evolving at an accelerating pace and the world is entering a period of turbulent changes, Wang said when meeting with Motegi, adding that it is necessary for China and Japan, as close neighbors and long-term cooperation partners, to have timely strategic communication against this backdrop.

Since the onset of the pandemic, China and Japan have supported and helped each other in fighting the virus, demonstrating the friendship between the two countries, Wang said.

Under the new circumstances, China and Japan should maintain their resolve and determination, deepen cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 and in other fields, jointly uphold multilateralism, and tackle risks and challenges together, so as to build bilateral ties that meet the requirements of the new era and inject impetus into the world full of uncertainties, he added.

Wang called on the two sides to take a long-term perspective, effectively manage differences, mobilize positive factors and curb negative ones, so that bilateral relations will always move along the right path of peace, friendship and win-win cooperation.

Motegi, for his part, said Wang's visit is the first face-to-face meeting between the two foreign ministers since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is of great significance for the resumption of high-level exchanges between the two countries.

Japan appreciates China's support in fighting the COVID-19 and is ready to step up cooperation with China in containing the pandemic, said Motegi.

The Japanese side is ready to work with China to implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, maintain high-level communications, and resume consultations and security dialogues between the parliament, economic, trade and diplomatic authorities of both sides, he added.

Both sides also exchanged views on other issues of common interest.

Wang arrived in Japan earlier on Tuesday for a visit. ■