World - Asia
Updated: November 17, 2022

Japan's Kishida Expresses Concerns To China's Xi On Security

By Quadri Adejumo
November 17, 2022
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Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday he had expressed “serious concerns” over regional security issues to Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bangkok at the pair’s first in-person talks.

The two major economies are key trading partners, but relations have soured.

Kishida said he had “expressed serious concerns over the situation in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands,” referring to Tokyo-controlled disputed islets that China calls the Diaoyus.

He also said he raised concerns over “China’s military activities, including ballistic missile launches from China.”

In August, Chinese missiles fired during massive military drills around Taiwan are believed to have fallen within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

“I stressed the importance of peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” Kishida said, adding that the countries had “agreed on strengthening communication in the field of security.”