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China-Japan relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China and Japan agree more talks needed to manage tensions

  • Politburo member Yang Jiechi meets Japanese national security adviser Takeo Akiba for first senior political dialogue between the two nations since 2020
  • Akiba expresses concerns about Chinese missiles falling into Japan’s exclusive economic zone during recent drills around Taiwan

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China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi took part in a high-level political dialogue with Takeo Akiba, secretary general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, in Tianjin, north China, on August 17. Photo: Xinhua
Teddy NgandShi Jiangtao
China and Japan have agreed to hold more dialogues to manage their rising tensions despite a heated exchange between the senior officials on the subject of Taiwan.
During a seven-hour meeting in Tianjin on Wednesday, Yang Jiechi, China’s foreign policy chief, told Japanese national security adviser Takeo Akiba that Taiwan was an inseparable part of China, while Akiba expressed concern about Beijing’s military exercises.

State news agency Xinhua described the talks as candid, in-depth and constructive – a diplomatic formula that usually signals a heated exchange. It is the first senior political dialogue between the two nations since 2020.

“Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question concerns the political foundation of China-Japan relations and the basic trust between the two countries,” Yang said, according to the report.

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Yang said the Japanese side should focus on the fundamental long-term interests of the two nations and their people and work to really understand China, adding that Tokyo should properly manage differences with Beijing.

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