Taiwan to hold talks with Japanese government over China's territorial expansion

In a bid to strengthen the bilateral relationship, the governments of Japan and Taiwan are going to hold talks to discuss military and "gray-zone" coercion, which is being imposed by China on both countries. As per media reports, the first-ever ruling party version of the "two-plus-two" security talks between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will aim at establishing good relations and addressing other border-related issues. It must be noted that both Japan and Taiwan are facing serious threats from Beijing and have been the victims of China's aggressive territorial expansion.

The talks between the two countries will be held online before the end of this month. According to media reports, the LDP Foreign Affairs Division Director Masahisa Sato and LDP leader Taku Otsuka will represent Japan and in the first phase of the discussion, the LDP-led government is likely to discuss ways to promote foreign exchanges between Japan and Taiwan, along with security problems. Meanwhile, participants from the Taiwan side have not been decided.

Dispute between Japan, Taiwan, and China

Japan and Taiwan have a maritime border issue with China and the cause of the dispute is the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands between Tokyo and Beijing. Meanwhile, Taiwan also claims some territory, and the Taiwan government has openly claimed these territories and has asserted several times that these areas legitimately belong to Taipei. Notably, the Chinese government claims sovereignty over Taiwan and on several occasions has used security forces to bring the disputed territory under its control. China's attempts at territorial expansion have escalated concerns among Japanese and Taiwanese governments.

Why is Japan holding talks with Taiwan?

As per the reports, China's regular air surveillance in Taiwan's air defense zone from the last eight months has sparked concern about a possible attack by Beijing. Meanwhile, Japan looks at Taiwan as a friendly country and observes China as a serious threat. Japan shares a century-old dispute with China over sovereignty in parts of the sea, and Tokyo holds grudges against China about leftover issues from World War II. Currently, both Taiwan and Japan look at China as a common danger to their respective countries, which is why they are holding talks to discuss trade, bilateral relations, security, and other national issues.

IMAGE: AP
(With ANI Inputs)