China-Japan Relations

Cutting Edge 2

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May 13, 2017 5:00 am JST
Tokyo sends big delegation to China's Silk Road forum
Prominent Abe surrogates to offer olive branch for deeper cooperation

HIROYUKI AKIYAMA, Nikkei staff writer

BEIJING -- Tokyo is sending a cadre of public and private big shots to China's modern Silk Road forum, seeing the need to deepen cooperation in light of North Korean threats despite its wariness over Beijing's growing clout in Asia.

The secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Toshihiro Nikai, is spearheading the delegation to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on Sunday and Monday. He has been entrusted with a personal letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Nikai arrived here Friday and spoke with Tang Jiaxuan, head of the China-Japan Friendship Association and a former state councilor, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. They agreed that holding three-way summit talks with South Korea earlly this year would be a plus for relations between the two countries. Negotiations are underway for meetings with top Chinese officials, including Xi.

Other attendees include Sadayuki Sakakibara, chairman of the Japan Business Federation lobby, known as Keidanren; Kiyoshi Ueda, governor of Saitama Prefecture; and Yoshifumi Matsumura, state minister of economy, trade and industry. Abe's executive secretary Takaya Imai will also arrive Saturday, an unusual trip for an executive secretary without his boss.

The Abe government has vied with Beijing to export its infrastructure, and has shown caution toward cooperating on the Belt and Road infrastructure program. It fears the initiative could strengthen China's hand in neighboring countries, as well as expand its influence in the South China Sea and elsewhere.

Nevertheless, with North Korea continuing its nuclear and missile development, Tokyo judged that mending fences with Beijing is a necessity, given its influence over Pyongyang. U.S. President Donald Trump is stepping up pressure on Xi's government for that same reason. The Abe government also aims to realize mutual visits by the Japanese and Chinese leaders.

The delegation's lineup reflects Tokyo's motives. Instead of sending economic minister Hiroshige Seko, whom Beijing had requested, they sent Nikai, who has connections in China and manages Japan's ruling party. China plans to treat Nikai as an important guest on par with a deputy prime minister.

Tokyo and Beijing have been chafing over issues including the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China also claims, and sovereignty in the South China Sea. This year marks the 45th anniversary of Japan and China resuming normal diplomatic relations, and 2018 will be the 40th year since the two signed a treaty of peace and friendship -- two important milestones. But with a reshuffle of top Communist Party figures looming this fall, Beijing's diplomatic moves are limited. That means the countries will likely stick to laying the groundwork for improving ties, for now.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Eco...nds-big-delegation-to-China-s-Silk-Road-forum
 

amoy

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Japan, China, South Korea decry protectionism in rare show of unity
Finance and central bank chiefs meet to discuss financial safeguards for Asia


YOKOHAMA -- The finance ministers and central bank chiefs of Japan, China and South Korea issued a joint statement Friday opposing protectionism and promoting currency cooperation among Asian countries.

"We will resist all forms of protectionism," the officials said in a joint message issued after an hour-long meeting the same morning. "We agree that trade is one of the most important engines of economic growth and development, and contributes to improving productivity and creating jobs," the message read.

Japanese officials say it is the first time the finance chiefs of the three countries have jointly pledged to fight protectionism. The language was borrowed from past statements of the Group of 20 finance ministers, which typically pledged their commitment against any form of protectionism but were unable to do so in Germany in March due to U.S. opposition.

The officials met on the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank's annual meeting, which kicked off Thursday in Yokohama.

It was a rare display of unity among three countries that are often fierce economic rivals and have long-running disputes over territorial matters and issues related to Japan's aggression during World War II. The mere fact that they met, let alone agreed on anything substantive, is noteworthy.

Their statement comes amid a rising tide of protectionism in the U.S. under President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a statement calling the country's trade deficits with Japan and Mexico "unsustainable." The message followed the release of trade data for March showing a sharp month-on-month increase in the U.S. trade deficit with Japan for March.

"The United States can no longer sustain this inflated trade deficit with our closest trading partners," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said.

In pulling the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal, the Trump administration has delivered a blow to efforts to promote free trade in the world's fastest-growing region. Japan is leading a push among the remaining TPP members to forge a new agreement.

Japan is also seeking free trade with China, South Korea and other Asian countries under the so-called Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership initiative, but a senior Japanese official said Friday that the negotiations for RCEP are likely to be protracted. "We are trying to translate the high-standard rules and principles agreed upon within the context of the TPP into the RCEP negotiations," the official said. Tokyo is not interested in just picking "low-hanging fruit," the official added.
 

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Japan Scrambles Fighter Jet After China Drone Flies Close to Disputed Islands

06:26 19.05.2017(updated 06:22 19.05.2017)

Tomomi Inada said that Japan scrambled an F-15 fighter jet to chase a Chinese drone away from disputed islands in the East China Sea.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — Japan scrambled an F-15 fighter jet to chase a Chinese drone away from disputed islands in the East China Sea, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said Friday.

Japan’s Coast Guard said four Chinese vessels entered the waters off the Senkaku islands
– called the Diaoyu by China – on Thursday. A drone flew off one of them, in what was the first incident of this kind. Japan lodged a protest with China’s embassy.

"This was a direct violation of our country’s sovereignty. We regard it [drone’s flight] as a breach of our airspace," Inada told reporters at a press conference.

The islands are at the center of a heated dispute between Japan and China. The United States handed control over the chain of eight islets to Japan in 1972 but Beijing argues they were marked as Chinese territory on maps dating back to 1783.

https://sputniknews.com/asia/201705191053762720-japan-scrimble-fighter-china-drone/
 

IndianHawk

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Japan Scrambles Fighter Jet After China Drone Flies Close to Disputed Islands

06:26 19.05.2017(updated 06:22 19.05.2017)

Tomomi Inada said that Japan scrambled an F-15 fighter jet to chase a Chinese drone away from disputed islands in the East China Sea.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — Japan scrambled an F-15 fighter jet to chase a Chinese drone away from disputed islands in the East China Sea, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said Friday.

Japan’s Coast Guard said four Chinese vessels entered the waters off the Senkaku islands
– called the Diaoyu by China – on Thursday. A drone flew off one of them, in what was the first incident of this kind. Japan lodged a protest with China’s embassy.

"This was a direct violation of our country’s sovereignty. We regard it [drone’s flight] as a breach of our airspace," Inada told reporters at a press conference.

The islands are at the center of a heated dispute between Japan and China. The United States handed control over the chain of eight islets to Japan in 1972 but Beijing argues they were marked as Chinese territory on maps dating back to 1783.

https://sputniknews.com/asia/201705191053762720-japan-scrimble-fighter-china-drone/
Very good. Japan deserves some humiliation for being a pacifist weakling non nuclear state.

If only china can continue to do this for longer periods perhaps our Japanese friend might grow a spine and test a nuclear weapon.
 

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Chinese Ships Warned to Leave After Entering Japanese Waters

18.07.2017

Chinese government vessels entered Japanese waters on Monday and were issued a warning to leave.

The pair of Chinese Coast Guard ships sailing around Aomori Prefecture in the Sea of Japan complied with Japan’s initial request. Two hours after they left, the same ships were identified in a separate part of the Sea of Japan, the Japan Times reported Monday.

The intrusion near Okinoshima Island and Tsushima Island marked the first confirmed entry of Chinese boats in the area, according to the Japanese Coast Guard.

Four more Chinese ships were discovered coasting around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Monday as well, JT noted, which are controversially claimed by Japan as the Senkaku Islands and by China as the Diaoyu Islands. Taiwan also claims the islands as their own.

The two small islands are administered by Japan but China’s Sea Air Defense Identification Zone has covered the little territories since 2013 and asked that all aircraft provide flight plan information if they plan on going through the area.

Japan allows Chinese ships to fish around Senkaku/Diaoyu, but in a 1997 agreement signed by the two countries the waters were formally excluded from China’s exclusive economic zone.

According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea any vessel can rightfully cruise into territorial waters if they don’t pose a threat or harm the host country.


https://sputniknews.com/asia/201707181055632772-chinese-ships-warned-leave-japan/
 

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