China, Japan square off at first security talks in four years

CHINA said it was troubled by Japan’s military build-up and Tokyo took aim at Beijing’s military ties to Russia and its suspected use of spy balloons, in the Asian powers’ first formal security talks in four years on Wednesday (Feb 22).

The talks, aimed at easing tensions between the world’s second- and third-largest economies, came as Tokyo grew concerned that Beijing would resort to force to take control of Taiwan in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The resulting conflict from such an act could implicate Japan and disrupt global trade.

Last December, Japan said it would double its defence spending over the next five years, to 2 per cent of gross domestic product, for a total of US$320 billion. This was to deter China from resorting to military action. Beijing, which increased its defence spending by 7.1 per cent last year, spends more than four times as much as Japan on its forces.

Tokyo plans to acquire longer-range missiles that could strike mainland China, and stock up on other munitions it would need to sustain a conflict alongside the large US force that it hosts.

Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said: “The international security situation has undergone vast changes, and we are seeing the return of unilateralism, protectionism, and a Cold War mentality.” His comments came at the start of the meeting in Tokyo with Japanese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shigeo Yamada.

After the meeting, Sun said that they had discussed Japan’s release of waste water from the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, and also talked about “unblocking” industrial supply chains. He did not provide further details.

China is Japan’s largest trading partner, accounting for around a fifth of its exports and almost a quarter of its imports. China is also a major manufacturing base for Japanese companies.

“While relations between Japan and China have a lot of possibilities, we are also facing many issues and concerns,” Yamada told Sun.

He pointed to their territorial dispute over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. He also cited Beijing’s recent joint military drills with Moscow and the suspected Chinese surveillance balloons spotted over Japan at least three times since 2019.

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Japan says past aerial objects likely Chinese spy balloons

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In a statement after the meeting, Japan’s foreign ministry said it also stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The statement also said that the two countries had agreed to try to establish a direct communication hotline “around spring”, and to strengthen dialogue between their senior security officials. REUTERS