Negotiations between the foreign ministers of China and Japan in Beijing paved the way for Tokyo to host Beijing’s foreign affairs chief next year, and for a mutual agreement to hold a security dialogue as soon as possible, said the Japanese government this Wednesday.
No details were given about when the events will take place, but Takeshi Iwaya told reporters after meeting and working lunch with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that they both agreed to continue high-level talks, potentially including an economic dialogue during the 2025 visit.
The day-long visit is Iwaya’s first to the Chinese capital since becoming Japan’s foreign minister in October, to discuss thorny issues with his country’s biggest trading partner.
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The trip follows an agreement between the leaders of both countries to work towards a mutually beneficial strategic relationship.
Ties between the neighbors, trading partners with close economic and investment ties but rivals on security and territorial claims, are complicated by long-standing geopolitical disagreements and historical wartime sensitivities.
Iwaya raised several security concerns, charging China to take “necessary actions” including removing a buoy that Japan has identified and believes was installed by China in the exclusive economic zone near one of Japan’s southernmost islands.
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“I also expressed my serious concerns about the situation in the East China Sea… and the increasing activity of the Chinese military,” he said.
Regarding regional concerns, Wang and Iwaya discussed North Korea. Iwaya called on China to play “a responsible role in maintaining peace and security in the international community,” he said.
Japan expressed “grave concerns” about North Korea’s security alliance with Russia, in which North Korea is expected to gain advanced military technology and combat experience.
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Wang emphasized at the meeting that the importance of the relationship between Japan and China goes beyond bilateral ties. “If China-Japan relations are stable, Asia will be more stable,” Wang said at the start of the meeting.
China and Japan: visa rules
In reciprocity to China’s relaxed visa rules, Japan will remove some requirements for three-year multiple-entry tourist visas for Chinese citizens and allow those on group visas to stay for up to 30 days out of the previous 15. The country has also introduced a new 10-year multiple-entry tourist visa.
Last month, Beijing expanded its visa-free arrangements to include Japan until the end of 2025, restoring a policy that was suspended during the pandemic. China also extended the stay period from 15 to 30 days.
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Japanese citizens could enter China without a visa for up to 14 days before COVID-19.
Iwaya highlighted that addressing the safety of Japanese citizens was important to increasing travel between Japan and China.
Cases of Japanese citizens detained under China’s anti-espionage law and the lack of transparency surrounding the law have led Japanese people to feel hesitant about traveling to China, Iwaya said, calling for more transparency and the release of those detained.
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The discussion on China’s ban on Japanese seafood, highly anticipated on the agenda, did not indicate any easing of restrictions, but only that both sides agreed to “properly implement” a recent agreement.
A major point of contention in bilateral relations has been Japan’s discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant, which Beijing has strongly opposed and responded to by stepping up inspections on Japanese products.
China was Japan’s biggest export market for marine products until Beijing banned them entirely in protest against Tokyo’s actions.
Both governments reached an agreement in September that obligates Japan to establish a long-term international monitoring agreement, allowing interested parties such as China to conduct independent sampling of treated water.
