Chinese and Japanese officials meet first time in four years for security talks to stabilise strained relation

Tokyo: Chinese and Japanese officials met in Tokyo yesterday for formal security talks for the first time in four years, in a meeting aimed at stabilising increasingly strained relations. In Japan’s national security strategy, released in December, China was described as “the greatest strategic challenge” to Japan’s peace and security. Both sides expressed concerns at the meeting.

China said it was troubled by Japan’s military buildup while Tokyo is worried about China’s suspected



use of spy balloons as well as Chinese military activities around Japan, including cooperation with Russia.

In December, Japan, a key US ally, announced a historic rise in defence spending, pledging to double the defence budget to 2 per cent of GDP by 2027. China and Japan also discussed the disputed islands in the East China Sea. The Senkaku Islands are administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing, which refers to them as the Diaoyu Islands.