China and Japan have been in preparations for bilateral talks of their foreign ministers on the sidelines of a three-way meeting of top diplomats from South Korea, China and Japan in Seoul later this week, China's foreign ministry said Tuesday. 

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Wang Yi and Fumio Kishida, are set to meet on Saturday, resuming their trilateral meeting for the first time in nearly three years. Such meeting has not been held mainly because of Japan's unrepentant attitude over its World War II atrocities in both Korea and China.
  

Asked whether Wang and Kishida will hold a bilateral meeting in Seoul, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei replied, "China and Japan are in communication for the relevant arrangement."
  

If successful, the trilateral meeting in Seoul would pave the way for the three neighbors to hold a three-way summit of their leaders. (Yonhap)