Chinese, Japanese Foreign Ministers Meet on Christmas, Discuss Post-Fukushima Seafood Trade

December 25, 2024 | 07:06 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Seafood trade talks are expected to be on the agenda on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, when Japan's foreign minister visits China. The country was Japan's largest seafood export market until Beijing imposed a blanket ban in protest at Tokyo releasing treated Fukushima radioactive wastewater into the sea.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Christmas Day to attend the High-Level Consultation Mechanism on People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges.

The visit is the first by a Japanese foreign minister under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who was elected as Japan's 103rd prime minister on November 11, 2024.

"In November this year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Lima. They agreed to maintain high-level communication and utilize dialogue mechanisms in the fields of economy and culture. China attaches great importance to Foreign Minister Iwaya's visit," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said as reported by Antara.

According to Mao Ning, China is ready to work with Japan by focusing on common interests, enhancing dialogue and communication, deepening practical cooperation and properly managing differences.

"We are ready to work together to fully advance the strategic relationship of mutual benefit, and build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship in the new era," Mao Ning said.

The main sticking point in bilateral trade between the two countries, as reported by Reuters, is the discharge of waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Beijing strongly opposes and condemns Tokyo's decision on the matter and has tightened inspections on Japanese goods in response.

China imposed a full ban in August last year after Japan began releasing treated radioactive water. However, the two governments reached a deal in September that would pave the way for the resumption of seafood shipments from Japan to China.

The Nikkei reported this week that China is considering lifting the ban on Japanese seafood imports.

However, Beijing still wants assurances from Tokyo that it will fulfill its commitment to establish a long-term international monitoring arrangement. China has also urged Japan to allow stakeholders such as Beijing to conduct independent sampling and monitoring of the treated water.

With adequate monitoring, China will “adjust relevant measures” and gradually restore imports that meet standards and regulations, Mao Ning said.

The one-day visit follows an agreement between the two countries’ leaders that they will work to realize a mutually beneficial strategic relationship, strengthening communication at various levels.

China-Japan relations have experienced ups and downs. China has increased the frequency of military activity in waters and airspace near Japan, deploying the aircraft carrier Liaoning near Japan’s westernmost island of Yonaguni on September 17, 2024.

Then on September 18, 2024, a 10-year-old Japanese student was stabbed by a Chinese man about 200 meters from a school gate in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province. Although taken to hospital, the boy died early Thursday morning.

Then on September 25, 2024, the Japanese military was known to have used the destroyer JS Sazanami to cross the Taiwan Strait waters and spent more than 10 hours sailing south to complete the crossing.

The joint voyage with naval vessels from Australia and New Zealand was the first since World War II.

But on the same day, China launched a rare intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean, thought to be the first in decades.

The Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Chinese military's Rocket Force "launched an ICBM... carrying a mock warhead into the open sea in the Pacific Ocean at 8:44 a.m. local time on September 25. The missile fell into the expected sea area,"

The intercontinental missile launch prompted protests from other countries in the region, including Japan, which said it had "received no prior notification from the Chinese side" and added that Beijing's increased military activity in the region was of "serious concern".

Editor's Choice: Japanese Sake Officially Added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

UK PM's Christmas Message: May There Be Peace in the Middle East

1 jam lalu

Indonesian Govt Gives 2024 Christmas Remission to 15,976 Prisoners

1 jam lalu

A Unique Christmas Tradition of Eating KFC in Japan

3 jam lalu

Jakarta Cathedral Church Holds Three Christmas Masses Today

4 jam lalu

Christmas Eve Mass, Pope Francis Calls for Courage to Change the World

4 jam lalu

5 Typical Christmas Foods From Around the World

4 jam lalu

Syrian Christians Celebrate First Christmas Since Bashar al Assad's Overthrow

5 jam lalu

KAI: 15,000 Train Passengers Depart Bandung Ahead of Christmas Holiday

7 jam lalu

Police Deploy 4,771 Personnel to Secure Christmas 2024 in Jakarta

7 jam lalu

114 Salemba Prison Inmates Get Special Remission for Christmas 2024

8 jam lalu