Japan PM Kishida expresses ‘serious concerns’ to Xi on regional security

Japan PM Kishida expresses ‘serious concerns’ to Xi on regional security

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Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday he had expressed “serious concerns” over regional security issues to Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bangkok at the pair’s first in-person talks.

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The two major economies are key trading partners, but relations have soured as Beijing bolsters its military, projects power regionally, and takes a harder line on territorial rivalries.

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The two major economies are key trading partners, but relations have soured as Beijing bolsters its military, projects power regionally, and takes a harder line on territorial rivalries.

Image Credit :-  Google

Kishida said he had “expressed serious concerns over the situation in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands,” referring to Tokyo-controlled disputed islets that Beijing calls the Diaoyus.

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He said he also raised concerns over “China’s military activities, including ballistic missile launches from China.”

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In August, Chinese missiles fired during massive military drills around Taiwan are believed to have fallen within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

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“I stressed the importance of peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” Kishida said, adding that the countries had “agreed on strengthening communication in the field of security.

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China and Japan marked 50 years of diplomatic relations in September, but there was little celebration of the anniversary, given the neighbors’ frosty ties.

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On Thursday, Kishida said he had “reiterated Japan’s position on human rights and detention of Japanese citizens in China” to Xi.

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Just hours before the meeting on the sidelines of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile -- the latest in a record blitz of test launches.

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“On North Korea, I expressed our expectation that China will play a role including in the UN security council, and confirmed that I will closely cooperate with state leader Xi,” Kishida said.

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The pair will work towards “an immediate resolution of the abduction issue,” he added, referring to Pyongyang’s abductions of Japanese citizens during the Cold War.

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