Working-level consultations between the governments of Japan and China on maritime issues will be held online, with the aim of promptly starting operation of a hotline for direct contact between defense authorities in order to prevent accidental clashes between the Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese military. We agreed to proceed with specific adjustments.
The consultations, which were the first since December last year, took place in response to the recent Japan-China Summit Meeting, which agreed to maintain close communication at all levels.
In this, the Japanese side strongly urged China to immediately stop the repeated intrusions into its territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, and emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
In addition, he expressed serious concerns about military activities around Japan, such as China's launch of a ballistic missile into the waters near Japan, including Japan's EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) in August.
In order to prevent accidental clashes between the Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese Armed Forces, the talks included concrete plans for the early start of operation of a hotline for direct contact between defense authorities and a "Japan-China Security Dialogue" by high-ranking foreign and defense officials. It was agreed that adjustments should be made to
Furthermore, they agreed to cooperate in cracking down on crimes such as smuggling and drugs, and in dealing with the problem of marine plastic litter.