Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart on Friday that Sino-Japanese relations were at a critical stage, with the two sides discussing thorny issues including Japanese citizens detained in China, food import bans and semiconductor restrictions.
Wang met Japan’s Yoko Kamikawa on the sidelines of a gathering of foreign ministers hosted by Southeast Asian group ASEAN in Laos ahead of Saturday’s East Asia Summit and the security-focused ASEAN regional forum.
Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years over territorial claims, trade tensions and Beijing’s anger over Tokyo’s decision to release treated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
But in the past few months, Chinese and Japanese officials have resumed several consultation talks for the first time in years, suggesting that the relationship may be on a more stable footing.
According to the content of the talks released by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi told Kamikawa: “China-Japan relations are currently at a critical moment: either move forward or fall behind.”
China’s policy toward Japan has always maintained stability and continuity. It is hoped that Japan will establish an objective and correct understanding of China and pursue a positive and rational policy toward China.
In their first one-on-one talks in eight months, Kamikawa strongly urged Beijing to lift import restrictions on Japanese food imposed after the Fukushima disaster.
She also called for the early release of Japanese detained in China. Last year, a well-connected executive at Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma was arrested in China, in what some Tokyo officials said was a serious incident. considerable chilling effect business activity, leading to a decline in foreign investment and an exodus of Japanese expatriates.
“It is extremely important to create an environment where Japanese citizens and Japanese companies feel comfortable doing business in China,” Kamikawa told Wang, according to a news release from Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
As a close ally of the United States, Japan has joined other G7 countries in seeking to sever economic ties with China in strategic areas and align itself with the United States in ongoing actions. limit Limit Beijing’s access to advanced semiconductors.
Kamikawa told Wang that Japan’s semiconductor export restrictions do not target any specific country and that Japan is willing to maintain constructive communication with China on this issue.
The two ministers said they would seek to establish regular communication and invite each other to visit their respective countries and continue talks, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
