Japan's defense chief yesterday met a top Chinese military official, resuming defense dialogue after a three-year break amid regional concern over North Korea.
The talks are the latest bid by China and Japan to repair relations badly strained under former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who stepped down in September.
Major General Zhang Qinsheng (
"The meeting was honest, friendly and proactive in nature," Zhang said at the end of the talks, according to the Japanese official.
"It also looked to long-term issues and the meeting was strategic," Zhang said.
"After Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe took office in Japan, our relationship has improved," Zhang was quoted as saying.
Zhang was later scheduled to hold working-level talks with his counterpart, Takemasa Moriya.
"It is the first time since September 2003 that a top Chinese defense official meets with our defense chief," an official at Japan's Defense Agency said.
"The bilateral talks, which had been held every year at working levels, will focus on regional issues including North Korea," he said.
Zhang, who arrived in Japan on Tuesday, will today visit a military school for cadets in Shizuoka prefecture west of Tokyo.
Military issues have been at the center of friction between the Asian powers.
Japan, along with the US, has called for more transparency in China's rapidly growing military spending and opposes proposals for EU countries to sell weapons to Beijing.
China is considered the country with the most influence over North Korea, whose own military build-up has caused deep concern in Japan.
North Korea on Oct. 9 tested its first nuclear bomb. In 1998, it fired a missile over Japan's main island.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Beijing last month shortly after taking office in a bid to ease tension that grew during Koizumi's five-year tenure.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS