Japan FM in Beijing to boost ties
January 28, 2018, 9:13 am

China’s surveillance ship “Haijian 27” arrives at waters around the Islands that China claims as Diaoyu and Japan as Senkaku [Xinhua]

Kono, who is in Beijing on a two-day trip, is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the signing of a peace treaty and reestablishment of ties between the two countries after World War II.

“Not only do we need to manage our bilateral relations, but we also need to work together to deal with issues facing the entire globe, in particular the issue of North Korea, which is the matter at hand for the international community as a whole,” Kono said.

It is expected that Japan will ask that China join a proposed tri-level meeting with South Korea to discuss the North Korean crisis in the Asia-Pacific region.

It is likely the two sides will discuss recent territoral disputes in the East China and South China Seas.

For his part, Wang said: “At present, the Sino-Japanese relations are at a crucial stage. There is positive progress, but many disturbances and obstacles remain.”

Wang was referring to recent tension with Japan regarding territorial claims in the East China Sea.

He was alluding to a Japanese government exhibit which showcaes Tokyo’s claims to the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday told reporters at a regular press briefing that the islands are Chinese regardless of Japan’s protests.

“Diaoyu Island and its affiliated isles are China’s inherent territories, and China’s sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands has a solid historical and legal basis,” Hua said.

Tensions between the two countries have flared from time to time with each side accusing the other of flying military aircraft too close to its own jets in a long-running territorial dispute over a cluster of islets in the East China Sea, known in China as Diaoyu and in Japan as Senkaku, which has left ties between the two nations strained.

At the end of China’s war against Japanese aggression and World War II, China had recovered the islands that had been occupied by Japan during the war.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies