Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese and Chinese counterparts on Friday that Japan-China relations are at a critical juncture as they discussed tough issues including Japanese nationals detained in China, food import bans and semiconductor restrictions.
Wang met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on the sidelines of a foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (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 disputes and Beijing’s anger over Tokyo’s decision to dump treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
But in recent months, Chinese and Japanese officials have moved to resume several rounds of talks for the first time in years, suggesting relations are on a more stable footing.
“China-Japan relations are now at a critical juncture where we must either move forward or be left behind,” Wang told Kamikawa, according to a summary of the meeting released by China’s Foreign Ministry.
“China’s policy toward Japan has always been stable and continuous. We hope that the Japanese side will establish an objective and correct understanding of China and pursue a proactive and rational policy toward China.”
In his first one-on-one meeting in eight months, Foreign Minister Kamikawa strongly urged China to lift the import restrictions it imposed on Japanese food products following the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
She also called for the early release of Japanese nationals being detained in China. The arrest in China last year of a top executive at Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma prompted some Tokyo officials to say: Quite a chilling effect The impact on business was significant, leading to a decline in foreign investment and an outflow of Japanese expatriates.
According to documents released by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Kamikawa told Foreign Minister Wang, “It is extremely important to create an environment in which Japanese people and Japanese companies can operate with peace of mind in China.”
Japan, a close ally of the United States, along with other G7 nations, has cut economic ties with China in strategic areas and continues to maintain cooperation with the United States. curb To restrict Beijing’s access to advanced semiconductors.
According to a Chinese statement, Kamikawa told Wang that Japan’s semiconductor export restrictions were not targeted at any particular country and that Japan was ready to maintain constructive communication with China on the issue.
According to Japan’s Foreign Ministry, the two ministers said they aimed to establish regular communication and extended mutual invitations to visit each other’s countries to continue consultations.
