Japan protests China’s island incursions during FM visit
PTI, Nov 25, 2020, 12:02 PM IST
Tokyo: Japan used a visit by the Chinese foreign minister on Wednesday to protest Beijing’s increased activity and what it calls infiltration around disputed East China Sea islands.
Both sides agreed to avoid provocative actions in the contested area.
“The situation is extremely serious,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday for a two-day visit.
Relations between the two countries have been strained over territorial disputes and wartime history, even though ties have improved in recent years while China’s trade dispute with the US has escalated.
The territorial row is centred on Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands, which Japan calls Senkaku and China calls Diaoyu. Chinese coast guard ships have stepped up activity around the islands despite protests and warnings by the Japanese authorities.
Kato said Japan’s government protested earlier Wednesday when Chinese ships entered Japan’s contiguous zone, just outside of its territorial waters, for the 306th time this year.
“I conveyed (to Wang) our concerns about the activities of the Chinese government ships around the islands and asked for positive steps by China,” Kato said.
He said Wang said China hoped to make a positive relationship with Japan and play constructive roles in the region.
On Tuesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Wang agreed to try not to escalate tensions around the islands.
The two foreign ministers also agreed to resume business travel between the world’s second and third economies through a “business track” programme that will allow visitors to engage in limited activities during their 14-day quarantine periods.
They also agreed to work together on climate change, energy conservation, health care and digital commerce as part of their economic cooperation.
Wang is expected to meet with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday, the first meeting with the Japanese leader by a top Chinese official since the February visit of Chinese foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi.
Wang’s visit comes amid growing concerns about China’s increasing influence in the region. Japan is promoting military and economic partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China’s rise.
After his visit to Japan, Wang will head for meetings in South Korea.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
COP29: India rejects new USD 300 billion climate finance deal
Royal tour of India in offing for King Charles, Queen Camilla: Report
Indian-American leaders applaud PM Modi for inclusive growth in India
COP29: Civil society protests climate finance proposal, calls for ‘no deal’ over ‘bad deal’
Bomb disposal squad tackles ‘security incident’ at UK’s Gatwick Airport
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
No one has right to break law: BJP on Sambhal violence
Ullal: Auto-rickshaw accident near Konaje claims driver’s life
Congress victory in bypolls not a clean chit to CM in MUDA case: R Ashoka
IPL 2025 | Got someone who can do captaincy job: Ricky Ponting on Shreyas Iyer
Will review INDI alliance’s dismal performance in Maharashtra, says Tejashwi Yadav
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.