Japan-China Summit Meeting Close Communication and Consensus to Improve Relations

On the evening of the 17th, Prime Minister Kishida will hold a Japan-China summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time in about three years. agreed.

With pending issues such as the Senkaku Islands issue remaining, the issue will be whether concrete progress can be made in improving relations.

On the evening of the 17th, Prime Minister Kishida held a Japan-China summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping for approximately 40 minutes during his visit to Thailand, the first face-to-face meeting in approximately three years.

In this context, in addition to the situation in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, in August, China launched a ballistic missile into waters near Japan, including Japan's EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). He expressed his serious concerns about the activities and emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

On the other hand, he stated that it is important to hold frank dialogue even in the midst of such pending issues, and the two leaders shared the view that they will maintain close communication at all levels, including between the leaders, toward the development of Japan-China relations. .

Then, it was decided to proceed with coordination for Foreign Minister Hayashi's visit to China, with the intention of resuming dialogue between ministers.

In addition, regarding the situation in Ukraine, the two leaders shared the view that Russia should not use nuclear weapons and that they should not engage in nuclear war.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Kishida told reporters, "I feel once again how important face-to-face talks are in diplomacy. It's been a good start," he said.

On the other hand, many issues and pending issues remain, such as China's repeated incursions into territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, and the question is whether this meeting will serve as an opportunity to improve relations in the future.

Prime Minister Kishida, who continues to visit Southeast Asia, is scheduled to attend the APEC = Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit held in Thailand on the 18th.