Diplomats hailed the "toilet diplomacy" of an impromptu chat in the washroom between the foreign ministers of feuding neighbors China and Japan at security talks in Kuala Lumpur.
The two powers, whose relations are strained by historical enmities and territorial disputes, have held only a handful of high-level meetings in recent times.
So when China's Li Zhaoxing (李肇星) popped into the toilet during Wednesday's talks in the Malaysian capital, and found that Japan's Taro Aso happened to be inside, the two seized the chance for a discussion.
Journalists who had been pursuing Li through the hallways were mystified by the long visit to the facilities as they waited at the door for 20 minutes, unaware that Aso was also inside.
When Aso returned to the meeting of ministers from the 10-nation ASEAN plus China, Japan and South Korea, he informed his counterparts of the encounter.
"I just met Li in the toilet and we had a good discussion," Aso said to the other ministers when he returned, a Japanese foreign diplomat said, adding that their contingent was referring to the incident as "toilet diplomacy."
The two ministers yesterday finally held their much-awaited official "bilateral" meeting which took place in the more dignified surroundings of five-star Nikko Hotel.
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