On December 25, 2006, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing held talks with his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso in a previously arranged telephone call.

Both sides agreed that the overall bilateral relationship now maintains a good momentum for improvement and development. That conforms to the fundamental interests of the two-countries and peoples and is also conducive to peace and development in the region and the rest of the world, they said. The two ministers agreed that China and Japan should continue to work together to promote the further development of bilateral relations. They also agreed to further strengthen coordination to promote the process of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, in efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula at an early date.