Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to their meeting on Nov. 15 in Lima (Pool)

The relationship between neighboring countries tends to be dogged by a raft of sticky issues, which makes communication between the leaders indispensable.

In particular, Japan and China should deepen dialogue that serves their interests and contributes to regional stability.

On the sidelines of an international conference held in Lima, Peru, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Nov. 15 met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since the Japanese leader took office.

They confirmed their commitment to promoting a “mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests” to expand bilateral cooperation for shared interests.

With the confrontation between the United States and China expected to continue for the foreseeable future, the Xi administration apparently wants to keep China’s relations with neighboring countries as good as possible.

It has been exploring approaches to improving relations with Japan and likely sees the formation of a new Japanese government as a timely opportunity to accelerate these efforts.

With former U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to power, the already unpredictable international situation could become even more fluid. However, Japanese and Chinese interests can align in some areas, particularly in minimizing risk factors.

High-level diplomatic exchanges between Tokyo and Beijing, including those at the foreign ministerial level, began immediately after the launch of the Ishiba government, but Japan needs to press China to take more positive actions on a range of critical issues.

One such issue is China’s stance on Japanese seafood imports. After Japan in August 2023 began releasing treated contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, the Chinese government imposed a blanket ban on seafood imports from Japan.

Although an agreement to relax these restrictions was reached between the two governments in September this year, a full lifting of the ban is not yet in sight.

At the Nov. 15 meeting, Xi mentioned implementing the September agreement. Japan must continue pressuring Beijing to take steps in that direction.

Furthermore, Tokyo should also seek Beijing’s convincing responses to concerns among Japanese stationed or on business trips in China on the revised anti-espionage law.

The indictment in August of a Japanese executive of the Chinese unit of major drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc., who has been detained in China on suspicion of espionage since March last year, underscored the risk of being targeted under the anti-spy law, which is intimidating Japanese companies operating in China.

China has yet to disclose the facts about the fatal attacks related to Japanese schools in Suzhou in June and Shenzhen in September, causing distress to the families of expatriates. Japan should continue to seek improvements in China's response.

Security issues related to China’s behavior in the region are critical concerns. Military tensions continue in areas around the East China Sea. In August, Chinese military aircraft violated Japanese airspace off Nagasaki, and Chinese warships have repeatedly entered Japanese territorial waters.

China's military is also intensifying its intimidation of Taiwan, which is close to Okinawa Prefecture. It stands to reason that Ishiba told Xi that he was "extremely concerned" about these developments.

On the other hand, Japan is expanding and upgrading defense cooperation with Australia, the Philippines and others while enhancing its security alliance with the United States.

Although strengthening deterrence against China's military expansion is necessary to some extent, Japan and China can only make the situation even more dangerous if they continue increasing their reliance on military power.

It is hoped that the two countries will pursue an active and purposeful diplomatic engagement in the future, not just at international conferences but also through mutual visits at all levels, including those by the leaders.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 17