China says relations with Japan have reached ‘critical point’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart on Friday that relations between China and Japan are at a critical stage, as the two sides discussed thorny issues including Japanese citizens detained in China, a ban on food imports and restrictions on semiconductors.

Wang met with Japan’s Yoko Kamikawa on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Southeast Asian Community (ASEAN) in Laos ahead of the East Asia Summit on Saturday (27) and the security-oriented ASEAN Regional Forum.

Relations between the two neighbours have been strained in recent years over issues including territorial claims, trade tensions and Beijing’s anger over Tokyo’s decision to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

But in recent months, Chinese and Japanese officials have resumed several consultative talks for the first time in years, suggesting that relations may be on a more stable footing.

“China-Japan relations are currently at a critical point: either move forward or be left behind,” Wang told Kamikawa, according to a report of the talks released by China’s Foreign Ministry.

“China’s policy toward Japan has always maintained stability and continuity. It is hoped that the Japanese side will build an objective and correct perception of China and pursue a positive and rational policy toward China,” he added.

In their first one-on-one talks in eight months, Kamikawa strongly called for lifting import restrictions imposed by Beijing on Japanese food products after the Fukushima water release.

It also called for the early release of Japanese nationals detained in China. The arrest in China last year of an executive at Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma had what some Tokyo officials described as a major chilling effect on business, contributing to a drop in foreign investment and an exodus of Japanese expatriates.

“It is very important to create an environment where Japanese citizens and Japanese companies can operate smoothly in China,” Kamikawa told Wang, according to a report by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Japan, a close ally of the United States, along with other G7 nations, has sought to decouple its economic ties with China in strategic areas and has joined the United States on ongoing restrictions to limit Beijing’s access to advanced semiconductors.

Kamikawa told Wang that Japan’s restrictions on semiconductor exports are not targeting any specific country, and that Japan is willing to maintain constructive communication on the issue with China, according to the Chinese statement.