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Japan
ChinaDiplomacy

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida steps up China rhetoric ahead of Biden visit

  • Suspected Chinese gas exploration in disputed East China Sea ‘unacceptable’, Fumio Kishida says
  • ‘Rocky times ahead’ for Sino-Japanese ties, analyst warns, with countering China also believed to be high on Biden’s agenda during Tokyo visit

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Latest rows highlight the sharp decline in relations between the Asian rivals embroiled in wartime history and maritime disputes for years. Photo: Shutterstock
Shi Jiangtao
Tokyo has upped the ante in its territorial dispute with Beijing, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday slamming China’s suspected test drilling in the disputed East China Sea as “unacceptable”.
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Kishida’s remarks came on the eve of Joe Biden’s arrival in Tokyo for his first official visit as US president, following a trip to South Korea.

Countering China is believed to be high on Biden’s agenda when he lands in Japan on Sunday. He and Kishida are expected to firm up the US-Japan military alliance and step up strategic alignment on China with other regional powers, including India and Australia.

02:30

Joe Biden arrives in South Korea for a tour of Asia to strengthen US ties in the Indo-Pacific

Joe Biden arrives in South Korea for a tour of Asia to strengthen US ties in the Indo-Pacific

The Japanese leader said he was disappointed in China’s alleged attempts to explore gas fields in the disputed waters where the two countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZ) overlap, weighing in on the latest row that saw Tokyo’s foreign ministry lodge an official protest with the Chinese embassy on Friday.

Calling Beijing’s decision to push forward with a unilateral plan to build a gas development facility “extremely regrettable”, the ministry “strongly urged an early resumption of negotiations” to implement a 2008 bilateral agreement on harnessing resources in the East China Sea.

Japan and China agreed on joint gas development in the disputed area in 2008, but negotiations over how to implement the deal were suspended in 2010. Tokyo accuses Beijing of having positioned 17 suspected drilling rigs, including the latest facility – near the so-called median line between their coastlines.

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