Japan's foreign minister says China and Japan have the opportunity to "take charge of the economic field" during a time of worldwide uncertainty.

Taro Kono met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Sunday to discuss youth exchanges and economic relations between the two countries.

Kono said China-Japan ties "completely recovered" in 2018 following turbulence in previous years due to an unresolved dispute over islands in the East China Sea.

Trade and investment have since rebounded, and companies from the two countries are considering joint projects in third countries such as Thailand.

Wang said China and Japan are "two major neighbors and major economies" that should contribute to peaceful and stable development amid a "complicated and profoundly changing" global economic situation.