South China Sea: Japanese PM expresses ‘serious concern’

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping his concerns about the situation in the South China Sea, where incidents are increasing in the waters disputed between Beijing and several neighboring countries, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday .

During this bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Peru, Shigeru Ishiba expressed to Xi Jinping “his serious concern regarding the situation in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Xinjiang”, indicated the ministry.

Beijing claims, for historical reasons, its sovereignty over almost all of the uninhabited reefs and islets in the South China Sea, ignoring a 2016 international court ruling according to which its claims have no legal basis.

Air incursions and military maneuvers

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia have rival claims in this maritime zone with high commercial and strategic stakes.

The situation has worsened in recent months. Several episodes of violence pitted Chinese ships on one side and Vietnamese and Filipino ships on the other. At the same time, China has increased pressure on Taiwan, increasing air incursions and military maneuvers around the island which it considers to be part of its territory.

This is the first meeting between the Chinese president and Shigeru Ishiba, who came to power at the beginning of October and who remained in his post, at the head of a minority government, despite a heavy defeat for his party in the early legislative elections. end of October.

“Handle disputes constructively”

Relations between China and Japan, often tense, have deteriorated in recent years as Beijing strengthens its military capabilities in the region and Tokyo strengthens its alliance with the United States.

During the meeting, Shigeru Ishiba also “expressed serious concerns over the increasing activity of the Chinese military,” while emphasizing that “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are extremely important to Japan and the international community,” added the ministry.

Xi Jinping, for his part, said he hoped Japan would work with China to “properly handle major issues of principle such as history and Taiwan” and “manage differences constructively,” according to a ministry statement. Chinese Foreign Affairs.

China and Japan, “whose economic interests and industrial and supply chains are deeply intertwined,” should “pursue win-win cooperation and maintain the global free trade system as well as production and supply chains. stable and unhindered supplies,” added the Chinese president.

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