As two leading Asian nations, Japan and China should talk to each other more frequently in multifaceted dialogue.

The current crisis of the international order makes it all the more important for the two nations to have effective two-way communications based on a broader perspective.

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, held talks in a video conference on May 18. It marked the first time since November for the top diplomats of the two countries to hold talks, after nearly half a year of no direct communication.

Hayashi reportedly urged Wang to ensure China’s commitment to playing “a responsible role” in sustaining peace and security around the world, noting that Beijing has yet to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was a timely request for China from a neighboring nation.

The Chinese government has shown understanding to Russia. Its responses to the situation in the coming months will greatly affect the effectiveness of the international sanctions against Moscow. It makes a lot of sense to warn China through direct communication about the danger of tolerating the act of aggression, which has trampled on the United Nations Charter.

Wang told Hayashi that Japan should “behave cautiously” as he referred to moves by Tokyo and Washington to counter China’s expansion. During U.S. President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Japan, China will inevitably be the leading topic in his talks with Japanese leaders.

Wang apparently tried to put pressure on Tokyo before Biden’s trip to Japan.

The fact that the Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers had not exchanged their views and perceptions about the war that broke out in Europe is very troubling. Tokyo and Beijing share the blame for this disturbing situation.

The United States, Britain, Germany and France have all discussed the Ukraine problem with China through bilateral talks involving not just their foreign ministers but also their leaders.

As for North Korea’s repeated acts of provocation, the countries participating in the six-party talks over Pyongyang’s nuclear programs have held high-level talks with China. Japan has been the only exception.

In the meantime, a Japanese diplomat working for the Japanese Embassy in Beijing was temporarily detained by Chinese authorities. The Japanese public sentiment toward China remains highly critical.

Avoiding dialogue because of these facts, however, does not help build stable bilateral ties. Because of the strained bilateral ties, Japan and China should have made greater efforts to hold a meeting between their foreign ministers earlier.

During their talks in November, Wang asked Hayashi to visit China. The idea was abandoned, however, after some lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party criticized the plan as a premature move.

The foreign minister’s visit to a neighboring country is a normal diplomatic act unless the relationship between the two countries is in an extraordinary state.

The Japanese government should make cool-headed efforts to maintain dialogue between the two countries without being influenced by such a myopic attitude.

China seems to be aware of the problem given Wang’s comment that the current situation between Tokyo and Beijing is “not what the relationship between two neighboring nations should be.” But China needs to drop its self-righteous attitude. It has only criticized Japan without acknowledging its own fault.

China needs to realize how its aggressive actions in the South China Sea and the East China Sea as well as its rapid military buildup are making other countries in the region very uneasy. Beijing should take a hard look at the disastrous consequences of Russia’s reckless war and change its own behavior.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic relationship between Japan and China. However, there is no strong interest in the anniversary on either side.

But this occasion and all other opportunities should be used by the two governments to raise public awareness of the importance for the two nations to consistently pursue a relationship focused on the mutual benefits.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 20