In their first face-to-face talks in a year, meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida stressed on the need to focus on their shared economic interests amid a flurry of diplomatic disputes.
In a statement released on Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the two leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to abide “by the principles and common understandings” of the four China-Japan political documents, “comprehensively promoting a strategic relationship of mutual benefit,” and “building a constructive and stable” bilateral relationship.
Need for Cooperation
Xi said that China-Japan relations “have weathered twists and turns and maintained a development momentum in general, delivering important benefits” to both sides and “contributing to regional peace, development and prosperity.”
He added that in a “world of change and volatility where risks and challenges abound, peaceful coexistence, everlasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development of China and Japan serve the fundamental interests of the two nations.”
Issues of Contention
The Chinese leader stressed that “major issues of principle,” such as the two countries’ war history and the Taiwan issue, are “vital to the political foundation” of their relations. In this regard, he called on Tokyo to “honour its commitment and ensure that the foundation of China-Japan relations is not damaged or shaken.”
He further noted that as both countries’ “economic interests and industrial and supply chains are deeply intertwined, attempts to build ‘a small yard, high fences,’ decouple economies, or disrupt supply chains will do no one any good.”
Xi suggested that both sides should “deepen cooperation and contribute to each other’s success, uphold the global free trade system, and achieve a higher level of mutual benefit.”
President Xi Jinping and PM Kishida in San Francisco reiterated commitment to principles & consensus in the 4 political documents, reaffirmed to advance the strategic relationship of mutual benefit and agreed to build stable & constructive bilateral relations fit for the new era. pic.twitter.com/2sShbGC5ru
— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) November 17, 2023
He also brought up Beijing’s concerns surrounding the discharge of “nuclear-contaminated water” from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, emphasising its impact on “the health of all humanity, the global marine environment and the international common good.”
Accordingly, the Chinese president urged his Japanese counterpart to seriously consider the “legitimate concerns in and outside Japan and properly handle the issue in a responsible and constructive manner.”
Comments from Kishida
Similarly, Kishida assured Xi that Tokyo has “no intention to decouple from the Chinese economy or sever supply chains.”
He also expressed hope to “expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges and deepen practical cooperation in such areas as digital economy, green development, fiscal and financial sectors, and health and elderly care.”
Both leaders spoke positively of the newly established mechanism of export control dialogue and agreed to maintain open communication at all levels. They also pledged to “work constructively to find a proper solution to the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water through consultation and negotiation.”
China’s Concerns
Xi and Kishida’s meeting comes as tensions between the two countries remain high due to Japan’s support for Ukraine and its growing criticism of Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
In April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the “fundamental cause” for the hiccups in relations was that “some forces” in Japan were “deliberately” following the US’ “erroneous” China policy and cooperating with the superpower “to smear China and make provocations on issues concerning China’s core interests.”