VIENTIANE – Relations between China and Japan are at a critical juncture, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart on July 26, as the two discussed thorny issues including Japanese nationals detained in China, food import bans and restrictions on semiconductors.
Wang met with Yoko Kamikawa of Japan on the sidelines of an ASEAN-hosted foreign ministers’ meeting in Laos ahead of the July 27 East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Security Forum.
Relations between the two neighbors have been strained in recent years over issues including territorial claims, trade tensions and Beijing’s anger over Tokyo’s decision to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
But in recent months, Chinese and Japanese officials have agreed to resume several consultative talks for the first time in years, indicating that relations may be on a more stable footing.
“Sino-Japan relations are currently at a critical juncture: advance or be left behind,” Wang told Kamikawa, according to a report of the discussions released by China’s Foreign Ministry.
“China’s policy toward Japan has always been stable and continuous. It is hoped that the Japanese side will have an objective and correct view of China and pursue a positive and rational policy toward China.”
In their first one-on-one talks in eight months, Kamikawa strongly urged the lifting of import restrictions imposed by Beijing on Japanese food products following the Fukushima water leak.
She also called for the swift release of Japanese detainees in China.
The arrest of a well-connected executive of Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma in China in 2023 had what some Tokyo officials described as a significant chilling effect on business, contributing to a decline in foreign investment and an exodus of Japanese expatriates.
“It is extremely important to create an environment in which Japanese nationals and Japanese companies can operate in China with peace of mind,” Kamikawa told Wang, according to a statement released by Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
Japan, a close U.S. ally, has sought with other Group of Seven countries to sever economic ties with China in strategic areas and has aligned with the United States in ongoing restrictions aimed at limiting Beijing’s access to advanced semiconductors.
Kamikawa told Wang that Japan’s restrictions on semiconductor exports are not targeted at any specific country, and Japan is willing to maintain constructive communication with China and handle them properly, the statement said.
The two ministers said they would seek to establish regular communications and invited each other to visit each other’s countries for further discussions, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
