BEIJING (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Thursday that taking protectionist measures and adopting inward-looking policies in response to trade issues would not benefit anybody.
Aso, who also serves as Japan's deputy prime minister, was speaking to reporters in Beijing after meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and Vice Premier Han Zheng.
There was agreement between China and Japan that protectionist measures do not help anyone, Aso said. While China is locked in a bitter trade row with the United States, Japan has been pressing for multilateral talks to settle trade issues, an approach that U.S. President Donald Trump has shunned.
(Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)