Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Vientiane, Laos, on Thursday to discuss the resumption of imports of Japanese seafood and the recent attack on Japanese children in China. This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Ishiba took office, lasting 30 minutes.
According to Kyodo News, during this meeting, which was held in conjunction with the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit, Ishiba urged China to lift its ban on Japanese seafood imports. The ban had been imposed after Japan began releasing contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean.
Last month, China’s Foreign Ministry announced an agreement with Japan to gradually resume seafood imports, contingent on international monitoring of the water release. However, no timeline has been set for when the imports will resume.
In addition to seafood, Ishiba proposed expanding talks to include the export of Japanese beef and rice. He also raised concerns about the safety of Japanese citizens in China following a fatal attack on children at a Japanese school in Shenzhen, urging the Chinese government to clarify the incident and ensure the security of Japanese nationals.
Ishiba also expressed unease over increased Chinese military activity near Japan, particularly involving aircraft and aircraft carriers, and stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Li responded by emphasizing the mutual benefits of China and Japan’s development, describing the relationship as an opportunity rather than a challenge. He highlighted China’s interest in exploring new areas of cooperation, including technological innovation, the digital economy, and green development, while ensuring the stability of supply chains and global free trade.
Despite these ongoing issues, Ishiba underscored the importance of maintaining a “constructive and stable relationship” with China. Li echoed this sentiment, wanting to strengthen the strategic, mutually beneficial ties between the two nations.
The two leaders agreed to use the ministerial-level “Sino-Japanese High-Level Economic Dialogue” as a platform to further their cooperation.
