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Kyodo

The defence ministers of China and Japan agreed on Wednesday to boost mutual trust and strengthen communication amid growing Japanese concerns over China’s increasing military assertiveness in the East and South China seas.
“We want to strengthen communication and boost mutual trust to build a constructive bilateral security relationship,” Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe said at the start of the meeting.
While also expressing a desire to increase mutual trust, Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kono made clear that there were still various concerns between the two countries, including the East China Sea.
“We have strong concerns especially regarding Chinese vessels and planes in the sea and airspace surrounding the Senkaku Islands,” Kono said, referring to islands known in China as the Diaoyus.
This is the first visit by a Japanese defence chief to China since 2009, reflecting a recent thaw in bilateral ties that had previously grown frosty over wartime history and territory.
Kono said in Tokyo on Tuesday that he planned to have a “frank discussion” over various security and defence issues with Wei.
Japan and China are seeking to soon open a hotline under the bilateral Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism launched in June last year. The plan is aimed at averting accidental clashes between Japan’s Self-Defence Forces and the Chinese military at sea and in the air.
The two countries have yet to settle a dispute over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Chinese vessels have entered Japanese territorial waters near the islets on numerous occasions.
During his last visit to Beijing in August as foreign minister, Kono told his then Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that “a real solution” was needed regarding the islets in order to deepen ties between the two countries.
The Japanese government expects Kono’s two-day visit to lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s planned three-day trip to China from Monday for a trilateral summit with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to make his first state visit to Japan next spring.


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Chinese and Japanese defence ministers agree to strengthen trust

Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe met his Japanese counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: AP

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Taro Kono, Japan's Defence Minister, speaks at the Doha Forum in Qatar. Photo: AFP

A projectile is fired during North Korea's missile tests in this undated picture released by North Korea's Central News Agency (KCNA) on November 28, 2019. KCNA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe salutes after delivering his opening speech for the Xiangshan Forum, a gathering of the region's security officials, in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. Wei issued a stinging rebuke of the U.S. at a defense forum in Beijing, saying China wasn't fazed by sanctions, pressure and a "big stick policy." (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

File photo taken in September 2012 shows the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Chinese Coast Guard ships sailed near the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed uninhabited islands for a record 44th straight day on May 25, 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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A Japan Coast Guard vessel sails in front of one of the disputed islands in 2013. Photo: Reuters

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