Japan's PM emphasizes cross-strait stability in meeting with Xi

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday said stability across the Taiwan Strait is key to the international community when she met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.

In a statement released by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Takaichi brought up the Taiwan issue to Xi, reiterating the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for the international community, including Japan.

In addition, the Japanese ministry said Takaichi once again expressed Japan's serious concerns about the situations in the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region among others.

The ministry said the Japanese prime minister also raised serious concerns over China's escalation of maritime survey activities in the East China Sea, including around the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, and the intensification of Chinese military activities near Japan, urging Beijing to address these issues.

According to the ministry, both Takaichi and Xi reaffirmed their efforts to promote a "mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests" and build "constructive and stable Japan-China relations."

In her post on X, formerly Twitter, Takaichi, who took the helm as Japan's prime minister last week, said the two leaders conveyed various concerns and discussed the possibility of cooperation, adding: "I intend to continue to have thorough dialogue with President Xi, for the safety of Japanese people and peace in the region."

After her 30-minute summit with Xi, Takaichi told reporters: "We confirmed the importance of communicating with each other through multiple channels. As we have issues of concern, dialogue is all the more necessary," according to Kyodo News.

In response, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in a statement released on Saturday that he welcomed Takaichi's concerns over cross-strait stability, praising the Japanese government for "speaking what should be said."

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the Japanese government had voiced their concerns over security across the Taiwan Strait and in the region on multiple occasions, including at a summit during the APEC meetings in November 2024, a meeting between Japan and Chinese foreign ministers in Beijing in December 2024, and another foreign ministers' meeting in Tokyo in March, as well as the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Malaysia in July.

MOFA said Japan has demonstrated its persistent stance toward peace across the Taiwan Strait.

It added that Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capability and social resilience and closely work with its allies to ensure freedom, openness, peace and prosperity in the country as well as in the Indo-Pacific region.