(Central News Agency, San Francisco, comprehensive foreign news report on the 16th) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks in San Francisco, USA today. After the meeting, Kishida said that the two countries agreed to comprehensively promote a “strategic mutually beneficial relationship” and communication at all levels, and had asked China to lift the ban on Japanese aquatic products.
The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Japan-China leaders’ meeting lasted for about an hour at the hotel where Xi Jinping stayed. It was the first meeting between the Japanese and Chinese leaders since the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (APEC) in Thailand in November 2022. Bilateral talks will be held within one year of breach of contract.
Kishida pointed out at the beginning of the meeting that “confrontation and cooperation in today’s international society are complexly involved and are at a turning point in history.” He also emphasized that “as major countries leading the region and the international community, Japan and China have the responsibility to contribute to world peace.”
Xi Jinping said that although China-Japan relations have gone through ups and downs, the overall development trend has been maintained. The two sides should “focus on common interests and properly handle differences.” He also called for abiding by the principles set out in the “four political documents between China and Japan” and reaffirmed the “strategic “Mutually beneficial relationship” has been positioned and given new connotation, and it is committed to building a Sino-Japanese relationship that “fits the requirements of the new era.”
Kishida said after the meeting that there are various possibilities for cooperation between Japan and China, and there are also some unresolved issues.
Kishida pointed out that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the “Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship”. He and Xi Jinping confirmed the general direction of building “constructive and stable Japan-China relations” and agreed to comprehensively promote “strategic mutually beneficial relations”. On this basis, Continue close communication at all levels, including leader-level dialogue.
Regarding the discharge of “nuclear treated water” from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, Kishida said that he has asked China to respond calmly based on scientific evidence and strongly demanded that China “immediately lift import restrictions on Japanese aquatic products. The two countries should consult and dialogue in a constructive manner, Agreed to find a solution to the problem”. (Translator: Yang Weijing/Verification: Lu Yingzi) 1121117
