Chinese diplomacy says stability in Asia depends on ties with Japan – Observer

China’s Foreign Minister said, in a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, that “Asia will be stable if ties between China and Japan are also stable”.

Wang Yi further noted that “only when Asia is stable will it be able to play an important role in the world”according to a statement published on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal on Wednesday evening.

The diplomat expressed hope that China and Japan “learn from history, eliminate interference and converge towards consensus”, the note added.

Wang defended that Tokyo must “fulfill its commitments on the main sensitive issues”, among which he highlighted the status of Taiwan and the historical divergences between both nations.

Beijing considers Taiwan, an island governed autonomously since 1949, as a province, which must be reunified with the rest of Chinese territory, by force, if necessary.

“China and Japan must manage differences and prevent them from defining the bilateral relationship”Wang said, adding that he hopes Tokyo will “view China’s development objectively” and pursue “a positive policy” toward Beijing.

The minister reiterated that China “opposes the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea”, while also calling on Iwaya to allow Chinese authorities to “collect samples independently”.

In 2023, Beijing banned imports of Japanese seafood following the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, a measure only lifted last September.

For its part, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that, at Wednesday’s meeting, Takeshi Iwaya expressed “serious concerns” regarding Chinese military activities in the East China and South China Seas.

The two leaders also agreed to “make Foreign Minister Wang’s visit to Japan a reality at the right time, as soon as possible, next year,” said Japanese diplomats.

The Japanese minister, on his first official visit to China since taking office in October, conveyed to Wang Yi that Japan hopes to “reduce concerns by increasing cooperation and collaboration.”

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo are historically difficult and marked by territorial, commercial and historical disputes.

Japan’s occupation of certain Chinese regions before and during World War II remains a persistent point of contention, with Beijing accusing Tokyo of failing to sufficiently recognize and repair the suffering inflicted.

Visits by Japanese officials to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war dead, including convicted war criminals, regularly evoke Beijing’s ire.