Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba demanded a “full explanation” from China regarding a recent airspace intrusion by a Chinese military aircraft during a meeting with Premier Li Qiang at the ASEAN summit in Laos. Ishiba expressed serious concerns about Chinese military activities in the East China Sea and requested clarification on the incident in Japan’s territorial airspace.
During the meeting, Ishiba also raised issues related to China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier passing between Japanese islands near Taiwan, and the safety of Japanese nationals following recent incidents. He highlighted the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and expressed concerns about the situations in the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang.
Despite the tensions, both leaders agreed on the necessity of maintaining constructive and stable relations between Japan and China. Ishiba’s efforts to ease tensions with China are seen as a step towards a possible meeting with President Xi Jinping. Ishiba has previously proposed a NATO-style pact in Asia as a measure to counter China’s influence. However, Li cautioned against introducing bloc confrontation and geopolitical conflicts into the region.
© 2024 AFP