The foreign ministers of Japan and China held talks on Sunday, April 2, for the first time in more than three years amid tensions between the two countries, DW reports.
The visit of Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi was the first visit of a Japanese diplomat to China in the last three years, reports AP. In a meeting with his counterpart Qin Gang, he protested the arrest of a Japanese citizen in Beijing and also expressed that Tokyo was "strongly concerned" by China's increasing military activity near Taiwan and around Japan.
An employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma was arrested a week ago in Beijing on charges of espionage. None of the sides provided detailed information about the charges against him, writes AP. According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, five Japanese citizens are currently in custody in China, two of whom have already been tried and found guilty. Sin Gan responded by saying that China is "conducting the case in accordance with the law."
Rising tensions around Taiwan
Hayashi also expressed a "serious concern" about China's military activity, including its cooperation with Russia and military actions in the East China Sea. "We both reaffirmed the importance of continuing dialogue on various issues, including national security issues," - the Japanese minister said.
According to him, the parties agreed to cooperate in order to achieve "constructive and stable relations". Qin Gang, for his part, warned Japan not to interfere in Taiwan-related issues and said Tokyo should "not undermine China's sovereignty in any way," - the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Yoshimasa Hayashi said that despite the differences, the two countries have agreed to continue trilateral talks with South Korea, calling it an "important achievement".
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