In the midst of increasing tensions between their two nations over Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s increasingly slavish, pro-NATO policy, two announcements from China on March 31 showed the Japanese government is not totally on board Global NATO’s drive to crush China.
The first was the announcement that Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi was to visit China this Saturday and Sunday (April 1-2), at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters “China and Japan are each other’s important neighbors. A healthy and stable bilateral relationship serves the common interests of both countries and the region. China attaches importance to the visit.” Hayashi is to meet with Chinese leaders, as well as Foreign Minister Qin, she said.
The second was the announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Defense that the direct telephone line for a maritime and air liaison mechanism between the Chinese and Japanese defense ministries, in the works for more than a decade, has now been established. “The completion of the direct telephone line will effectively enrich the communication channels between China and Japan’s Defense Ministries, boost both sides’ crisis management capabilities in sea and air, and help further safeguard regional peace and stability, the Chinese Defense Ministry said,” Global Times reported.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, long an advocate for good relations with China, assured Global Times in an interview also published on March 31, that Hayashi’s visit was expected to “dispel misunderstanding and uncertainties” between the two nations. Fukuda had been in China for the Boao Forum on Asia, and met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on March 31, who praised Fukuda for his contributions to Chinese-Japanese friendship over the years.
