In the East China Sea, there are repeated tensions between China and Japan over a group of islands. In order to avoid future military clashes, a hotline has now been set up between the two countries.
Japan and China have spoken to each other for the first time via a newly created military hotline. Both countries had wanted to set up this “hot line” for more than ten years. The hotline is designed to help avoid military clashes in the East China Sea. The Japanese-controlled Senkaku archipelago is also claimed by China, where it is called Diaoyu.
Map showing China, Taiwan, Japan and the Senkaku Islands
communication channel to keep the peace
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and his Chinese colleague Li Shangfu spoke to each other for around 20 minutes over the “hot line”, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced. Both ministers stressed the importance of a maritime and aviation communication channel to build trust.
Beijing confirmed the call and said the new communication channel would help “maintain regional peace and stability”.
According to information from the portal “the japantimes”, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a hotline at a meeting in Bangkok last November.
Chinese warships off the Japanese coast
Military encounters are frequent on the islands in the East China Sea, Chinese warships often cruise off Japanese coasts, and joint Russian-Chinese maneuvers also worry Japan, which has publicly protested the presence of Chinese ships near the archipelago and in other regions. Hamada said honest communication is important, especially when relationships are not so good.
As the second and third largest economies in the world, China and Japan are important trading partners and have maintained diplomatic relations for more than 50 years.