Advertisement

Updated March 9th, 2021 at 18:54 IST

PM Modi & PM Suga discuss row over S China Sea; vow to strengthen India-Japan Partnership

The phone-call which lasted for approximately 40 minutes also saw PM Modi and PM Suga stressing on advancing Japan-India bilateral cooperation.

Reported by: Ananya Varma
PM Modi
| Image:self
Advertisement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister of Japan Suga Yoshihide on Tuesday where the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and raised concerns over China's unilateral attempts to change the status quo. Matters pertaining to the situation in Hong Kong and Xinjiang and the current political crisis in Myanmar were also brought up by the Prime Ministers during the conversation. 

According to an official press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan, "Prime Minister Suga expressed serious concerns regarding unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Sea, China’s Coast Guard Law and the situation in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Prime Minister Suga also asked for understanding and cooperation toward the early resolution of the abductions issue by North Korea. Furthermore, the two leaders confirmed that they have grave concerns over the situation in Myanmar and they would closely work together in this vein."

Previously, reports had stated that Japan was mulling military action in response to increased Chinese activity near the Tokyo-administered Senkaku islands, also known as the Diaoyu Islands. Both China and Japan claim Senkaku islands as their own territory, with the Chinese military asserting its control by repeatedly entering the contested waters. 

The phone-call which lasted for approximately 40 minutes also saw PM Modi and PM Suga stressing on advancing Japan-India bilateral cooperation and Japan-Australia-India-U.S. quadrilateral cooperation. The need to materialize the "Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership" through cooperation in such areas as security and defense, economic relationship including digital fields, and people-to-people exchanges was also discussed as per the Ministry. 

Meanwhile, they welcomed the progress on the high-speed rail project and the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on specified skilled workers.

Advertisement

Published March 9th, 2021 at 18:53 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Mukhtar Ansari Death
3 minutes ago
US Federal Reserve
11 minutes ago
Team Legend
22 minutes ago
Brij Bhushan and Sanjay Singh
24 minutes ago
Mani Ratnam
25 minutes ago
Lok Sabha Elections 2024
29 minutes ago
The Surprising Benefits of Video Games Beyond Just Entertainment
29 minutes ago
Alia Bhatt
32 minutes ago
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo