Leading diplomats from China and Japan convene in South Korea before to trilateral regional negotiations

Leading diplomats from China and Japan convened on Saturday for bilateral discussions aimed at resolving issues, such as China’s embargo on Japanese seafood that has negatively impacted Japanese exporters.

The southern port city of Busan, South Korea, served as the meeting place for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa. On Sunday, they will have three-way conversations with Park Jin, their host.

After seeing Wang in person for the first time after taking office in September, Kamikawa described the encounter as “very meaningful.” She said that they had decided to begin security and business discussions, but she did not elaborate.

Ten days ago, at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in San Francisco, the leaders of China and Japan came to a hazy agreement to resolve the seafood conflict. Since August 24, when the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima nuclear power facility started releasing treated radioactive effluent into the sea, China has prohibited the importation of seafood from Japan.

According to Japan, the effluent meets or exceeds international safety requirements, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has determined that the discharge of the material would have minimal effects on the environment and public health. The release is referred to as “nuclear-contaminated water” in China.

According to a summary of the meeting released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang said that China disagreed with Japan’s “irresponsible action” of discharging wastewater into the sea. He demanded the establishment of an impartial system for monitoring the wastewater outflow.

According to Wang, China and Japan had to demonstrate that they “should be committed to peaceful development and cooperative partners rather than threats to each other.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and their intricate relationships, a trilateral meeting of their presidents has not been convened since 2019. The foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea will convene on Sunday to lay the groundwork for a new summit.

Close cultural and economic allies, Japan, South Korea, and China have had ups and downs in their relations over the years owing to a variety of factors, such as North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, the US-China rivalry, and Japan’s wartime crimes.