ID :
192834
Mon, 07/04/2011 - 18:42
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http://m.oananews.org//node/192834
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Japan expresses concern to China over tension in S. China Sea
BEIJING, July 4 Kyodo -
Japan conveyed its concerns to China on Monday over territorial disputes between the country and Southeast Asian nations, and expressed its ''strong interest'' in Beijing's recent active naval operations in the region, Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto said.
Matsumoto told reporters after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi the international community ''shares an interest in freedom of navigation and maritime safety'' and that he sought China's cooperation to prevent the heightened tension from escalating further.
China has been engaged in disputes with Vietnam and the Philippines over island territories in the South China Sea.
Yang was quoted by a Japanese official as telling Matsumoto that bilateral disputes in the sea area ''should be peacefully resolved by the two countries'' and that the matter is ''different from the issue of the freedom of navigation.''
Matsumoto said Tokyo will make efforts to secure freedom of navigation and maritime security, as it agreed with Washington to do so in late June during the so-called ''two-plus-two'' meeting of the Japanese and U.S. foreign and defense ministers.
He also said ensuring free and safe navigation in the sea will benefit the entire region, according to the Japanese official.
''I also called for more cooperation between Japan and China over the signing of an accord on resources development in the East China Sea as well as the establishment of a multilayered crisis management mechanism in the sea area,'' Matsumoto said.
He was referring to bilateral efforts to conclude a treaty on joint gas field development in the East China Sea as well as to avert maritime accidents there. Ship collisions near disputed islands in the sea area last September led to a severe deterioration in Japan-China ties.
The two agreed to work toward resuming negotiations on the treaty, which were suspended after the collisions, the official said.
Matsumoto, who attended the ''two-plus-two'' meeting, explained to Yang about an updated set of Japan-U.S. ''common strategic objectives,'' which urge China to take a responsible and constructive role in regional stability, he said.
The goals also touch on China's military buildup and its relations with Taiwan. Matsumoto called on Beijing to enhance the transparency of its military power, he added.
Yang maintained that the Japan-U.S. security alliance should not go beyond its bilateral scope and that China's security policy is defensive. He also expressed Beijing's ''close interest'' in the reference to cross-Strait relations in the Japan-U.S. objectives, according to the Japanese official.
The strategic goals call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues through dialogue.
On North Korea, Matsumoto said he called on Beijing to effectively prod Pyongyang to make ''positive movements'' and resume talks with South Korea. He said he also sought China's support in addressing the North's past abductions of Japanese nationals.
Yang expressed Beijing's support for progress in inter-Korean as well as U.S.-North Korea talks to eventually restart the stalled six-party meeting on denuclearizing the North, according to the Japanese official.
The multilateral dialogue chaired by China involves the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. The process has been deadlocked since December 2008.
Matsumoto said he also pressed China to further ease restrictions on Japanese food imports imposed due to fears of radioactive contamination stemming from the ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.
China partially lifted its import restrictions in late June, but Matsumoto said such steps are not sufficient. Yang said he will relay the request to Chinese authorities concerned and urged Japan to provide ''timely and correct information'' on the nuclear disaster, the official said.
As a way to normalize strained bilateral relations, the two countries agreed to maintain high-level contacts through frequent visits and boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges to promote ''strategic and mutually beneficial'' ties, according to the Japanese foreign minister.
Yang told Matsumoto that Chinese leaders would welcome a visit to China by Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The two foreign ministers also agreed to arrange the schedule for this year's high-level economic dialogue to be held in Japan, which will involve several Cabinet ministers, the official said.
Matsumoto, who is on a visit to Beijing from Sunday, is the first Japanese Cabinet minister to travel to China since last August, when then Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and five other ministers visited the Chinese capital for a high-level economic dialogue.
Following his talks with Yang, which lasted more than three hours, Matsumoto met with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is seen as certain to succeed Hu Jintao as president in 2013, and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo.
Xi told Matsumoto that Japan and China need to boost confidence in political areas and appropriately deal with sensitive issues, according to the Japanese official.
Japan conveyed its concerns to China on Monday over territorial disputes between the country and Southeast Asian nations, and expressed its ''strong interest'' in Beijing's recent active naval operations in the region, Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto said.
Matsumoto told reporters after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi the international community ''shares an interest in freedom of navigation and maritime safety'' and that he sought China's cooperation to prevent the heightened tension from escalating further.
China has been engaged in disputes with Vietnam and the Philippines over island territories in the South China Sea.
Yang was quoted by a Japanese official as telling Matsumoto that bilateral disputes in the sea area ''should be peacefully resolved by the two countries'' and that the matter is ''different from the issue of the freedom of navigation.''
Matsumoto said Tokyo will make efforts to secure freedom of navigation and maritime security, as it agreed with Washington to do so in late June during the so-called ''two-plus-two'' meeting of the Japanese and U.S. foreign and defense ministers.
He also said ensuring free and safe navigation in the sea will benefit the entire region, according to the Japanese official.
''I also called for more cooperation between Japan and China over the signing of an accord on resources development in the East China Sea as well as the establishment of a multilayered crisis management mechanism in the sea area,'' Matsumoto said.
He was referring to bilateral efforts to conclude a treaty on joint gas field development in the East China Sea as well as to avert maritime accidents there. Ship collisions near disputed islands in the sea area last September led to a severe deterioration in Japan-China ties.
The two agreed to work toward resuming negotiations on the treaty, which were suspended after the collisions, the official said.
Matsumoto, who attended the ''two-plus-two'' meeting, explained to Yang about an updated set of Japan-U.S. ''common strategic objectives,'' which urge China to take a responsible and constructive role in regional stability, he said.
The goals also touch on China's military buildup and its relations with Taiwan. Matsumoto called on Beijing to enhance the transparency of its military power, he added.
Yang maintained that the Japan-U.S. security alliance should not go beyond its bilateral scope and that China's security policy is defensive. He also expressed Beijing's ''close interest'' in the reference to cross-Strait relations in the Japan-U.S. objectives, according to the Japanese official.
The strategic goals call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues through dialogue.
On North Korea, Matsumoto said he called on Beijing to effectively prod Pyongyang to make ''positive movements'' and resume talks with South Korea. He said he also sought China's support in addressing the North's past abductions of Japanese nationals.
Yang expressed Beijing's support for progress in inter-Korean as well as U.S.-North Korea talks to eventually restart the stalled six-party meeting on denuclearizing the North, according to the Japanese official.
The multilateral dialogue chaired by China involves the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. The process has been deadlocked since December 2008.
Matsumoto said he also pressed China to further ease restrictions on Japanese food imports imposed due to fears of radioactive contamination stemming from the ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.
China partially lifted its import restrictions in late June, but Matsumoto said such steps are not sufficient. Yang said he will relay the request to Chinese authorities concerned and urged Japan to provide ''timely and correct information'' on the nuclear disaster, the official said.
As a way to normalize strained bilateral relations, the two countries agreed to maintain high-level contacts through frequent visits and boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges to promote ''strategic and mutually beneficial'' ties, according to the Japanese foreign minister.
Yang told Matsumoto that Chinese leaders would welcome a visit to China by Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The two foreign ministers also agreed to arrange the schedule for this year's high-level economic dialogue to be held in Japan, which will involve several Cabinet ministers, the official said.
Matsumoto, who is on a visit to Beijing from Sunday, is the first Japanese Cabinet minister to travel to China since last August, when then Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and five other ministers visited the Chinese capital for a high-level economic dialogue.
Following his talks with Yang, which lasted more than three hours, Matsumoto met with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is seen as certain to succeed Hu Jintao as president in 2013, and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo.
Xi told Matsumoto that Japan and China need to boost confidence in political areas and appropriately deal with sensitive issues, according to the Japanese official.
