Latest news with #JapanChinaRelations
South China Morning Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Panda diplomacy: a boost for China-Japan ties amid US tariff anxiety?
Panda diplomacy is back in play as Japan seeks to charm visiting Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng with hopes of securing one or two of the endangered bears on loan. The gesture could help soothe bilateral ties and signal regional unity amid growing unease over US trade policy under President Donald Trump, analysts have said. He, a close adviser to President Xi Jinping, is scheduled to attend the the World Expo in Osaka for 'national pavilion day' at the Chinese pavilion on Friday. The Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday that Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and chairman of the Japan-China Parliamentary Friendship League, would meet He in Osaka and request the loan of at least one panda for a Japanese zoo. There was an outpouring of sorrow when four pandas kept at a wildlife park in Wakayama prefecture, central Japan, were returned to their homeland in June . At present, there are only two pandas in the country, at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, and those are due to return to China in February. Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng is scheduled to attend the World Expo in Osaka on Friday. Photo: Reuters 'Japanese people love to see pandas and they are deeply symbolic, but it goes beyond that at a time like this,' said Hiromi Murakami, a professor of political science at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.
Bloomberg
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Japan Protests Fresh Chinese Activity in East China Sea
Japan filed a complaint with China after detecting new construction activities in the East China Sea, according to a statement released by Japan's foreign ministry on Tuesday. The structure was installed west of the geographical median line between the two countries, according to the statement, which did not specify when the activity was identified.
Reuters
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Japan protests against new Chinese structure in East China Sea
TOKYO/BEIJING, June 24 (Reuters) - China has initiated the installation of a new structure on the west side of the geographical equidistance between Japan and China in the East China Sea, the Japanese foreign ministry said on Tuesday, adding it has lodged a protest with China. The ministry said in a statement "It is extremely regrettable" that China is pressing ahead with unilateral development when the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf in the East China Sea have not yet been delimited. Japan requests that China cease its unilateral development and to resume talks on the implementation of a 2008 agreement, in which the two countries agreed to cooperate on natural resources development in the East China Sea, it also said. There was no immediate response from the Chinese foreign ministry to Reuters' inquiries on the matter. Japan's ties with China have been plagued by a territorial dispute over a group of Japanese-administered islands in the East China Sea, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, as well as the legacy of Japan's past military aggression.
Washington Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Japan and China trade blame over Chinese fighter jets flying close to Japanese planes
TOKYO — Japan and China blamed each other on Thursday after Tokyo raised concern that a Chinese fighter jet came dangerously close to Japanese reconnaissance planes. The Chinese fighter jets took off from one of two Chinese aircraft carriers that were operating together for the first time in the Pacific, Japan's Defense Ministry said.
South China Morning Post
11-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China and Japan must overcome mutual hostility while also handling Trump's tariffs: envoy
China and Japan must work hard to improve public opinion towards each other, Japan's top envoy in Beijing said, as the Asian neighbours move to stabilise ties amid shared concerns about tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump 'The most difficult aspect of current Japan-China relations is the sentiment between the two peoples and, very unfortunately, there are still some negative perceptions that linger in Japan regarding China, and vice versa in the Chinese society regarding Japan,' said Kenji Kanasugi , who has been Japan's ambassador to China since late 2023. 'This situation cannot be easily remedied overnight, yet what is imperative is to make steady progress, addressing concrete challenges one by one, and proactively promoting practical cooperation,' he told students and academics at Renmin University in Beijing on Tuesday. 01:49 Hegseth reaffirms US-Japan alliance against 'aggressive Communist Chinese' Hegseth reaffirms US-Japan alliance against 'aggressive Communist Chinese' Although international tourism reportedly recovered to pre-pandemic levels last year, Kanasugi noted that travel between the two countries appeared to lag, even as China resumed visa-free entry to Japanese citizens in November. 'Unfortunately, there are still some Japanese who feel anxious about visiting China due to differing reasons. We continue to raise this issue with the Chinese government on various occasions,' he said. With ties already complicated by wartime history and territorial disputes in the East China Sea, relations between Beijing and Tokyo have been further strained, including over China's import ban of Japanese seafood since 2023 after Japan released treated waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. Political friction has deepened as Tokyo aligned more closely with Washington's efforts to contain China in recent years. Reports of Japanese academics and businessmen being detained in China and attacks on Japanese citizens have further soured public sentiment on both sides.
