Taiwan President Lai Ching-te showed his support for Japan on Thursday with a lunch of Japanese-sourced sushi, after China indicated it would ban all imports of the country's seafood in an escalating dispute over the Chinese-claimed island.

Japan and China are facing off in an angry spat over the status of Taiwan – part of China for Beijing, an independent and friendly state for Tokyo.

Japan is mounting a broad diplomatic effort to ease tensions with China after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan sparked a sharp backlash from Beijing that raised fears of a breakdown in economic ties.