Japan, China contemplate economic dialogue this month - Sankei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and China are negotiating a resumption of a ministerial meeting focusing on economic affairs in Tokyo this month, which would be the first such meeting in five-and-half-years, the Sankei newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Taro Aso, Japan's finance minister and deputy prime minister, and his Chinese counterpart as well as the foreign ministers of both countries will participate, the paper reported without citing sources.

The expected meeting comes as worries over China's economic slowdown roil global financial markets. The agenda is likely to include bilateral coordination on economic, environmental and trade affairs, according to the paper.

Japan's finance ministry was not immediately available to comment.

The finance ministers are also expected to discuss whether to resume a bilateral currency swap arrangement between the Bank of Japan and the People's Bank of China, it said.

The ministerial economic dialogue has been held roughly once a year until 2010 but has not been held since then, after territorial disputes strained bilateral relations.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)