By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – Following the US steps in the wider Asia-Pacific region will “widen the barrier” between Beijing and Tokyo, China has told Japan, saying it “should not help a villain do evil.”
The two sides discussed in detail bilateral, regional, and international issues during Japanese top diplomat Yoshimasa Hayashi’s trip to Beijing over this weekend.
Hayashi also met Chinese Premier Li Qiang, China’s top foreign affairs advisor Wang Yi and held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.
“Maintaining and developing China-Japan relations benefits not only the fundamental interests of the two peoples but also regional peace, stability, and prosperity,” Li told Hayashi, adding China and Japan “are close neighbors and important Asian countries.”
Japan should “meet China halfway, enhance communication and cooperation, properly handle differences, stay clear of disruptive risks,” Li said.
Hayashi acknowledged that Tokyo and Beijing were “facing numerous challenges and serious concerns, and are at a critical stage.”
According to a readout from Beijing, Hayashi said: “Japan is willing to work with China to take the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship as an opportunity to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, maintain high-level exchanges, and keep carrying out dialogue and communication to build constructive and stable bilateral relations.”
While noting “various noises and disturbances” in China’s bilateral relations with Japan, Wang Yi blamed “some forces” in Tokyo for “deliberately following wrong” US policy toward China, and cooperating with the US side in “smearing and provoking on issues involving the core interests of China.”
Calling on Tokyo to “sum up the lessons of history,” Wang stressed that following Washington’s “wrong” policy on China “is strategically short-sighted, politically wrong and diplomatically unwise.”
Tokyo should “abide by the principles enshrined in the four political documents between the two countries and get rid of zero-sum thinking,” he told Hayashi.
- Japan’s concern over South China Sea, Xinjiang, Taiwan Strait
According to a Japanese Foreign Ministry’s statement, Hayashi in his talks with Qin “protested the detention of a Japanese national in Beijing,” calling for his early release.
China last week said a Japanese, in his 50s, was arrested over alleged spying.
While calling for “an appropriate environment for cooperation,” Hayashi reiterated Japan’s “serious concerns” about the situation in the East China Sea, including the situation surrounding the disputed Senkaku Islands, and China's “intensification of military activities around Japan, including cooperation with Russia.”
Known as Diaoyu Islands in Beijing and Senkaku Islands in Tokyo, the islets are disputed between China and Japan.
As Hayashi mentioned the “importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Qin emphasized that the “Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests, which bears on the political foundation of China-Japan relations.”
The Japanese diplomat also reiterated “serious concerns about the situation in the South China Sea, in Hong Kong, and Xinjiang,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
Urging China to play a “responsible role in maintaining international peace and security,” the two sides discussed regional affairs, including the alleged abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea, missiles issue, and cooperation at the United Nations.
“The two sides exchanged views on the importance of the Japan-China-ROK (South Korea) process, and agreed to restart the process, including at the summit and foreign minister levels,” the statement added.
- ‘Do things conducive to regional peace, stability’
Qin, China’s Foreign Ministry said, told Hayashi: “A profound lesson from bilateral relations over the past half-century is that peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation are the only correct choices for both sides.”
“It is a prevailing aspiration of all countries (in Asia) to safeguard regional peace and promote common development. Faced with disputes and differences, forming exclusive blocs and shouting out one-sided demands to exert pressure will not solve any problem, but only widen the barrier between each other,” said Qin about China-Japan relations.
On Japan’s recent move to adopt additional requirements for chip equipment exports to China, Qin said: “The US once brutally contained Japan's semi-conductor industry by resorting to bullying practices. Today the US has repeated its tricks on China.”
“As the saying goes, do not do unto others what you don't want done unto you. As the keenly-felt pain still stings, Japan should not help a villain do evil. The blockade will only further stimulate China’s determination for independence and self-development,” Qin told Hayashi, urging Japan to “do more things conducive to regional peace and stability.”
Pointing to Japan’s decision to release contaminated nuclear waste into the sea, China’s top diplomat told his Japanese counterpart: “The discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean is a major issue bearing on the health and security of humanity, and Japan should handle the disposal responsibly.”