Japanese Foreign Minister Meets With Chinese Counterparts In Munich, Germany

On February 18, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The meeting involves a valuable exchange of views helpful in a constructive and peaceful Sino-Japanese relationship, according to the Foreign Ministry of Japan.  Photo: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Japan

On February 18, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts, Wang Yi and Park Jin, one after another. On a wide range of security, economic, and diplomatic issues, they achieved some general agreements.

Yoshimasa first expressed “serious concerns” about China’s increasing military activities around the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands and the Taiwan Strait. Speaking on the incident involving the Chinese balloons detected and shot down in the US, Yoshimasa reiterated Japan’s position regarding similar Chinese flying objects in Japanese airspace and emphasized that China should stop sending the objects. Stability and peace are emphasized as a priority for both Japan and China in these areas.

Regarding their common neighbors, Yoshimasa urged China to coordinate with Japan and other countries in tackling the crises in Ukraine and North Korea, as Russia continues to launch attacks and North Korea continues to test missiles.

On the other hand, Yoshimasa recognized the great potential of the cooperation between China and Japan in the East Asian economic area. More people-to-people exchanges will be “revitalized” to construct a more meaningful context for future economic cooperation. Finally, both Wang and Yoshimasa confirmed their security dialogue in the following days, which had not been held since January 2019. 

The meeting, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, was very significant and involved a valuable exchange of views toward building a “constructive and stable relationship,” a claim agreed by Wang Yi as well.

Yoshimasa conveyed Japan’s position on issues regarding East China Sea security, Sino-Japanese economic cooperation, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the recent North Korean aggression.  Photo: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Japan

Wang Yi agreed with many of Yoshimasa’s views and shared his determination in building a peace-oriented Sino-Japanese relationship. China and Japan are neighbors with their destinies closely tied, said Wang. In constructing their relationship, China and Japan should reflect upon history and based on that cast their eyes upon a bright future. 

Still, Wang pressed for more responsible handling of the nuclear wastewater from Japanese nuclear power plants. He suggested that before negotiating with interested parties and international organizations, Japan should not single-handedly start dumping the wastewater in the ocean.

Moreover, Wang urged Japan to act along with China to exclude “internal and external disturbances” to stabilize and pacify the Sino-Japanese relationship. According to Wang, unilateralism and economic decoupling harm the national interest of both China and Japan. “Japan should better understand the situation and independently make decisions”. 

Overall, both Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers expressed their will for peace, stability, and prosperity for the two countries. Albeit reserving some of their differing positions about specific issues, they exchanged their views and kept communication channels open. How the Sino-Japanese relationship would evolve remains uncertain, as the upcoming Sino-Japanese Security Dialogue is to eventuate soon.