Politics

China protests Japan’s ‘negative developments’ over Taiwan

Tokyo, Feb 22 (EFE).- China on Wednesday conveyed to Japan its concern over Tokyo’s “negative developments” regarding Taiwan during the first bilateral dialogue held between the countries in four years.

China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong is meeting with Japan’s Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Shigeo Yamada along with other senior officials of both governments during the Japan-China Security Dialogue in Tokyo.

“I am deeply concerned about the negative developments regarding the Taiwan issue in collusion with powers outside the region, and I would like to hear a responsible explanation,” Sun said.

This could refer to the recent Japanese strategy to strengthen its military capabilities as well as its cooperation in the region with its main ally, the United States.

Yamada in turn expressed government concern over incursions of suspected Chinese spy balloons into Japanese airspace and increasing naval maneuvers by Beijing around the archipelago.

In his speech at the beginning of the meeting, Yamada specifically pointed out the intensification of Chinese military exercises around the Senkaku Islands, administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing (which calls them Diaoyu), and in the vicinity of the Okinawa archipelago, and also stressed that some of these maneuvers took place in cooperation with Russia.

But he also said that “the leaders of both countries share a common understanding of the need to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations.”

Sun added that “the leaders of the two countries have reached an important consensus that they do not pose a threat to each other.”

Since last Tuesday, Japan and China have held this first bilateral security dialogue since 2019, a break mainly due to the pandemic and during which relations have deteriorated due to territorial and historical disputes between the two countries, in addition to the recent Taiwan crisis. EFE

ahg/tw

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