Japan, China agree to continue talks for stable bilateral ties amid tensions over Taiwan

Japan's top national security adviser Takeo Akiba and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi held a meeting in Tianjin city of China on Wednesday and agreed that both nations will continue to hold talks to build constructive and stable bilateral ties despite the tensions over Taiwan, Kyodo News reported citing their governments. In about seven-hour long meeting between the two officials, Takeo Akiba, Secretary General of Japan's National Security Secretariat, raised objections over Beijing's large-scale military drills around Taiwan, a Japanese government official said. 

The talks between China and Japan come at a time when both nations are set to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations in September. The meeting between Takeo Akiba and Yang Jiechi is believed to have discussed restoring the ties between Beijing and Tokyo, as per the news report.

Japan's top national security adviser raised objections over China launching ballistic missiles during its military drills encircling Taiwan, five of which landed in Japan's economic zone. During the meeting with China's foreign policy chief, Akiba stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, according to an official.

Notably, China launched military drills after the US House of Representatives arrived in Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

Meanwhile, Yang Jiechi emphasised that Taiwan is "an inalienable part of China's territory" and raised concerns over Taiwan relating to the "political foundation" of relations between China and Japan and also the "good faith" between the two nations.

Jiechi also highlighted the need to remove "internal and external" involvement and work together to develop a relationship between China and Japan which addresses the needs of the new era, as per the Kyodo News report. The two leaders agreed that the efforts by both nations are needed to improve the bilateral relations as agreed between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. During the meeting, Takeo Akiba and Yang Jiechi also discussed the situation in Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia. 

Beijing hopes Japan will work to 'enhance' ties with China: Wang Wenbin

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that Beijing hopes that Japan will work with China to strengthen political mutual trust. Speaking at a press briefing on August 18, Wang Wenbin stressed that China hopes that Tokyo will "abandon the zero-sum game mentality" and handle the differences between the two nations for a "mature, stable and resilient China-Japan relationship." 

Wang Wenbin pointed out that Japan chose to stand with the US and make "groundless accusations" against Beijing after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. He noted that more than 170 nations and many international organizations offered support for China's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

"Japan, however, chose to confound right with wrong by supporting the US’s erroneous action and making groundless accusations against China. This is a gross interference in China’s internal affairs," Wang Wenbin said in the press briefing.

Image: AP