The Japan-China Summit Meeting will be held in Beijing, China, on June 2. This is the first visit to China by a foreign minister in about three years and three months, and Foreign Minister Hayashi will meet with Foreign Minister Qin Gang for the first time on June 3. They are also coordinating meetings with members of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. What will be discussed at this meeting?
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Q1.What will Minister Hayashi convey to the Chinese side at the meeting?
A1.This meeting will be held following the agreement at the Japan-China Summit Meeting in November last year to maintain close communication at all levels.
Minister Hayashi conveyed serious concern about the situation in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, where Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly intruded into territorial waters, and China's increasing military activities around Japan in cooperation with Russia, and reiterated the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
We will also strongly urge the early release of Japan detained in China, including men from major pharmaceutical companies.
Q2.How will the Chinese side approach the talks?
A2.We would like to convey our desire to further strengthen the cooperative relationship with Japan.
In particular, in order to rebuild the economy that has stagnated due to the "zero coronavirus" policy, we do not want to further worsen our relationship with Japan with strong economic ties.
However, before the meeting on June 2, Politburo member Wang Yi, who oversees foreign affairs in China, met with former Prime Minister Fukuda and rebuked the Japan side, saying, "I am concerned about the possibility that Japan's China policy may regress," bearing in mind that Japan is strengthening cooperation with the United States.
China is expected to show frustration with Japan amid the protracted confrontation with the United States and determine how far the Japan side will go in improving its relations with China at the meeting on June 2.
Q3.What is the stance of the Japan side toward the meeting?
A3.First of all, we will clearly assert the position of the Japan side regarding issues and concerns.
As the Japan of the G7 Presidency, with the Hiroshima Summit next month, Japan aims to demonstrate its stance as the G7 Presidency and lead discussions at the G<> by asking China to respond directly and responsibly to the situation in Ukraine, which will be a major agenda item.
On the other hand, Japan regards our relationship with China as extremely important, so our basic stance is to find areas where we can cooperate through repeated dialogue.
The focus of this meeting will be on whether we can achieve results in cooperation in areas such as economic, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as exchanges between the leaders, toward building constructive and stable relations.