China Refuses to Hold 3-Way Summit with Japan

Beijing, Nov. 24 (Jiji Press)–Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning suggested Monday that China believes that conditions are not good at the moment for a trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks about a potential contingency over Taiwan “have damaged the foundation and atmosphere” for cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea, she said at a press conference. “Japan should take China’s concerns seriously, retract the erroneous remarks on Taiwan and show Japan’s sincerity for dialogue with concrete actions,” the spokesperson claimed. The trilateral summit talks are held in rotation, with Japan serving as chair this time. Scheduling had been delayed due to South Korea’s presidential election and the resignation of former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Takaichi’s immediate predecessor. Holding the next trilateral summit appears difficult for the time being as the Chinese side continues to take a hard-line stance against Japan over Takaichi’s remarks. A meeting of culture ministers from the three countries to be held in Macau on Monday had been postponed due to opposition from China. At the press conference, Mao also criticized Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s visit to the Sakishima Islands in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa on Saturday, which are close to Taiwan, to seek local support for the deployment of a surface-to-air guided missile unit as part of efforts to reinforce Japan’s defense capabilities. This is “a deliberate move that breeds regional tensions and stokes military confrontation,” she claimed, adding “this move is extremely dangerous.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]