Top Japanese and Chinese government officials met on Monday to address maritime issues in disputed waters in the East China Sea as Beijing staged wargames around Taiwan.
The meetings, part of a regular round of consultations on marine matters that began in 2012, came after Chinese airplanes and warships simulated raids against Taiwan after the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen visited the United States, where she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
A top Japanese government spokeswoman said Tokyo had followed China’s military maneuvers surrounding Taiwan “with considerable attention” before the discussions.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are vital to Japan’s security and the international community.
Beijing views U.S.-Taiwanese contacts as interference in its domestic affairs. As a result, it may use force to retake a rebel province.
Hong Liang, director-general of China’s Foreign Ministry’s Border and Ocean Affairs, led China’s team, while Takehiro Funakoshi led Japan’s.
Hong lambasted Tokyo for remarking on China’s actions in the Taiwan Strait at the last conference in November. He also requested Japan to withdraw its ships from the East China Sea islands claimed by both nations.
Their coast guard ships often clash in the waters surrounding the Japanese-controlled Senkaku and Diaoyu islands.
The U.S. has stated that any move by China to seize the islands would be an assault on its ally.
Last month, China and Japan established a military communications hotline to defuse air and marine accidents in the disputed regions.
