Liaison procedure gets a push
Beijing, Tokyo to consider initiating protocol to avoid conflicts at sea
Beijing and Tokyo agreed during a foreign ministers’ meeting on Wednesday to consider initiating a maritime and airspace liaison procedure at an early date.
The bilateral liaison mechanism — under which the two countries would brief each other about naval or flight plans or communicate during potential military encounters — was designed to address concerns about possible conflicts or incidents related to territorial disputes in the East China Sea.
The mechanism has been endorsed by leaders from both sides. However, its initiation has been stalled partly because of the two countries’ strained ties, and the Ministry of National Defense has called on Tokyo to “remove barriers that hinder negotiations on the mechanism”.
On the sidelines of the annual China-Japan-Republic of Korea Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida also agreed to enhance dialogue and considera new round of high-level, bilateral consultation on maritime affairs, the Foreign Ministry said in a release.
Senior officials from both countries have held four rounds of maritime affairs consultations, and the second consultation, in September 2014, saw the resumption of two-way talks on the liaison mechanism.
Liu Junhong, a researcher on Japan studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said Tokyo has been nervous about the presence of China Coast Guard ships around the Diaoyu Islands. Japan was eager to talk about the liaison mechanism with China, Liu said.
Zhou Yongsheng, a professor of Japan studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said one of the challenging tasks for both parties is to ensure that their military encounters in the East China Sea can be kept safe through briefing each other.
“The mechanism will not only help maintain tranquility in the waters of the Diaoyu Islands, but will also benefit the long-term development of bilateral ties,” Zhou added.
During the talks on Wednesday, Wang said the China-Japan relationship still faces difficulties and is at “a crucial juncture” with“opportunities and challenges .”
Wang said China is ready to manage and control differences, conduct exchange sin various fields and expand common interests.
Kishida said Tokyo is willing to manage and control conflicts and differences, expand positive aspects of the two-way relationship and bring ties back on track.
Wang also met with his ROK counterpart Yun Byungse and said Seoul should “weight he pro sand cons with a cool mind” over its plan to deploy the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile-defense system.