China, Japan agree to strengthen defense co-op

BEIJING—Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and Japanese Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Office of the Self-Defense Force Saito Takashi on Wednesday agreed to strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries. Cao, also vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and a state councilor, said he hoped the two countries could take this year, the 30th anniversary of the China-Japan peace and friendship treaty, as an opportunity to promote the healthy and steady development of relations.
“I hope the two sides can prudently and properly handle issues, deepen exchanges and cooperation, continue to consolidate the political basis of bilateral relations, and enhance mutual strategic trust,” said Cao. Saito said stronger ties between the two major powers in Asia was significant to regional and world peace and stability.
He hoped the defense departments of both countries would strengthen high-level exchanges to enhance mutual trust and understanding. Cao stressed the importance of the Taiwan issue, saying it concerned China’s core interests, and he hoped the Japanese side would respect China’s positions and oppose “Taiwan independence”.
Saito said the Japanese side would adhere to the spirit of the Japan-China joint communiques, adding Japan’s position on the Taiwan issue was unchanged. Before meeting with Cao in Beijing, Saito held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Chen Bingde. Chen, Chief of General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said he hoped China and Japan would deeply understand and respect each other’s security concerns and work harder to build defense security and mutual trust.
Saito told Chen that the visits by Defense Minister Cao and the Chinese fleet to Japan last year marked a new start for exchanges between the two defense departments, and he hoped they would strengthen defense exchanges to promote friendship between Japan and China. Saito, who arrived on Tuesday, also expressed his sympathy for problems caused by the severe winter weather in southern China.
China and Japan started a new round of high-level dialogue here on Friday, with important tasks to promote a relationship that has entered a crucial period with many opportunities, particularly in Chinese President Hu Jintao’s upcoming visit, experts said. After the “spring herald” visit by Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to China in December, Sino-Japan relations have entered a favorable period of improvement and development, said Gao Hong, a Chinese Academy of Social Sciences researcher.
The two sides agreed during Fukuda’s visit that Hu will visit Japan in the coming spring, specifically in April. The visit, the first by a Chinese head of state to Japan in 10 years, is one of the most important opportunities for further development of bilateral ties. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China, and is also the China-Japan Youths Friendly Exchange Year and the Beijing Olympic year.
“It is undoubtedly significant to hold the new dialogue at this new period for China-Japan relations, particularly right ahead President Hu’s visit to Japan in April,” said Gao. “An important task of the dialogue is to discuss on the prior preparation for the visit.” The “strategic dialogue” was attended by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart, Mitoji Yabunaka, the first time for the two to lead delegations to the dialogue. The talks started at 3:30 p.m. at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and were scheduled to end on Saturday morning.
The two-day meeting may also focus on how to promote the building of China-Japan strategic and mutually beneficial relationship, including some major issues of common concern, such as the East China Sea, Gao said. On the recent dumpling poisoning case in Japan, experts said the issue may also be touched upon at the dialogue. “The media should not exaggerate the case. It is only a specific case and should not pose any big impact on China-Japan relations,” said Yang Bojiang, director of the Institute of Japanese Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
He said the two sides may take the dumpling case as an opportunity to discuss how to strengthen bilateral cooperation on food security, such as finding ways to avoid similar cases in future.
The China-Japan strategic dialogue, launched in 2005 amid the “frozen period” of Sino-Japan relations, has been held for seven rounds.

—Xinhua