China Declares Ties With Japan Are At A "Critical Stage"


07/28/2024



Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi informed his Japanese colleague on Friday that the two countries' relations are at a crucial point. The two addressed a number of difficult topics, such as restrictions on semiconductor imports, food import prohibitions, and Japanese nationals who are held in China.
 
Ahead of this Saturday's East Asia Summit and the security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum, Wang had a meeting with Japan's Yoko Kamikawa on the fringes of a meeting of foreign ministers organised by the Southeast Asian grouping ASEAN in Laos.
 
Recent years have seen tense relations between the neighbours due to a number of concerns, including territory claims, trade difficulties, and Beijing's ire over Tokyo's decision to dump treated water into the sea from the devastated Fukushima nuclear facility.
 
However, during the last several months, representatives from China and Japan have pushed to reopen a number of consultative conversations for the first time in years, suggesting that relations may be stabilising.
 
According to a summary of the discussions released by the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang told Kamikawa, "China-Japan relations are currently at a critical point: advance or be left behind."
 
China has always maintained consistency and stability in its policies towards Japan. It is desired that Japan will have an accurate and impartial view of China and adopt a constructive and logical course of action towards it.
 
During their first one-on-one meeting in eight months, Kamikawa pushed Beijing to remove the import restrictions on Japanese food goods following the Fukushima water leak.
 
She further demanded the early release of Japanese prisoners held in China. An exodus of Japanese expats and a decline in foreign investment have been attributed to the arrest of a well-connected executive from Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma in China last year, which some Tokyo authorities regarded as having a significant chilling effect on business.
 
According to a readout released by Japan's foreign ministry, Kamikawa told Wang, "It is extremely important to create an environment in which Japanese nationals and Japanese companies can operate in China with peace of mind."
 
Japan, a staunch friend of the United States, has worked with the other G7 nations to gradually sever its strategic economic ties with China and has sided with Washington in continuous efforts to restrict Beijing's access to cutting-edge semiconductors.
 
According to China's readout, Kamikawa informed Wang that Japan is eager to continue having positive discussions with China on the matter and that the country's export limits on semiconductors are not intended to target any particular nation.
 
According to Japan's foreign ministry, the two ministers stated that they would work to increase frequent communication and that they had both given invitations to visit each other's nations to continue discussions.
 
(Source:www.theprint.in)