Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said she raised "serious concerns" about the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Xinjiang in her first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
She said she told Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea that she wanted a “strategic and mutually beneficial relationship between Japan and China,” but also raised a number of thorny issues with him.
“We ... expressed serious concerns regarding actions in the South China Sea, as well as the situations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region,” Takaichi said.
Photo: Jiji Press, AFP
Beijing vehemently denies accusations of human rights abuses against the Uighurs, saying its policies in Xinjiang have eradicated extremism and boosted development, and has sweeping assertions of sovereignty over the South China Sea despite an international ruling in 2016 concluding its claims have no legal basis.
Takaichi said she also raised the issue of the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands (Diaoyutais, 釣魚台列嶼) in the East China Sea where Japanese and Chinese vessels frequently face off.
She also said she spoke about export controls on items including rare earths that are vital for a wide range of industries, adding that she pressed for the release of Japanese citizens detained in China and requested that the safety of Japanese expatriates in China be ensured.
Photo: Bloomberg
Takaichi is also a strong backer of Taiwan and supports security cooperation with the nation.
“Regarding Taiwan, there was some discussion from the Chinese side,” Takaichi said. “I stated that for the stability and security in this region, maintaining good cross-strait relations is important.”
In related news, China and Canada took a step toward mending the long-fractured ties between their countries yesterday.
Xi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met during the APEC summit, where they called for improving ties in a pragmatic and constructive manner, both sides said.
“The leaders agreed that their meeting marked a turning point in the bilateral relationship,” a Canadian statement said, while Xi was quoted as saying that relations are showing signs of recovery, thanks to the joint efforts of both sides.
“We are willing to work together with Canada to take this meeting as an opportunity to promote the return of bilateral relations to a healthy, stable and sustainable track as soon as possible,” Xi said.
Relations have been shaken by Canada’s decision last year to levy a 100 percent tariff on electric vehicles (EV) from China, and a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum. China has offered to remove its import taxes on some Canadian products if Canada drops the EV tariff.
Ottawa said that both leaders directed their officials to move quickly to resolve trade issues and irritants, and discussed solutions for specific products such as EVs, canola and seafood.
Xi called for expanding “pragmatic” cooperation in areas such as the economy, trade and energy.
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