TOKYO (AFP) – Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi protested the detention of Japanese nationals in Beijing when he met with China’s foreign minister on Sunday, prompting China to escalate military activity around Taiwan and around Japan. He expressed “strong concern” about what was happening.
Hayashi is visiting China on his two-day visit, becoming the first Japanese diplomat to visit China in more than three years amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Later on Sunday, he also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and diplomat Wang Yi.
In a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Lin called for the early release of an employee of Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas who was arrested in Beijing last month on suspicion of spying. Neither side has released any further details about the man or the allegations against him. Lin told reporters he had expressed “serious concern” over China’s increasingly aggressive maritime activities in the East and South China Seas, and stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
He once commented on Beijing’s increasing joint military activities with Russia around Japan while Moscow waged war on Ukraine, urging China to act responsibly for world peace.
Meanwhile, Qin cautioned against Japan’s involvement in issues related to Taiwan, an autonomous island claimed by China, saying that Japan should not interfere and “ “We will never undermine China’s sovereignty.”
In strong language, Qin said, “The Taiwan issue is at the core of China’s core interests and relates to the political foundation of Japan-China relations.”
Although Japan does not officially recognize Taiwan, it has strong unofficial ties with it. She has sent several prominent parliamentary delegations to Taipei, expressing her concern for regional stability across the Taiwan Strait. Japan’s proximity to islands in southwestern Japan and to islands in the East China Sea claimed by Tokyo and Beijing have raised concerns about a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and Japan has stepped up its defenses in recent years.
The Japan Coast Guard said in a statement over the weekend that three Chinese Coast Guard ships had entered Japanese-controlled waters around the Senkaku Islands. The Japanese patrol boat repeatedly called for departure while protecting two Japanese fishing boats, according to the Japan Coast Guard.
Qin has criticized Japan for new export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment that require companies to obtain government approval. The United States has taken similar steps, and Japan has confirmed that it has consulted with Washington on its own regulations. “The United States used bullying tactics to ruthlessly suppress the Japanese semiconductor industry, but now it is repeating the same old tricks against China,” Hata said, urging Japan not to become a pawn of the United States. “Don’t do to others what you shouldn’t do to yourself.”
Mr. Lin said the measures were not targeted to any specific country. But it was seen as part of a US-led deal to keep advanced semiconductor manufacturing out of the reach of Chinese industries.
The last Japanese foreign minister to visit China was Hayashi’s predecessor, Toshimitsu Motegi, in 2019, just before China imposed strict border controls and other measures due to the pandemic.
