China Warns Japan Not To Interfere With Taiwan

Cooperation between Japan and China (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sunday warned Japan not to interfere in Taiwanese affairs.

Beijing was visited by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Sunday to meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and a number of senior Chinese officials in an effort to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

In a separate meeting, Qin also chatted with Hayashi for more than 3 hours 45 minutes to discuss the legal proceedings of Japanese nationals detained in China, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.

The issue of Taiwan was not spared from being discussed by the two leaders.

Qin said the Taiwan issue was central to all of China's interests. For this reason, he urged Tokyo not to undermine Beijing's sovereignty in any way.

Regarding Taiwan, which has a democratic government that Beijing considers its territory, Hayashi stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait amid China's increasingly aggressive military in the region.

Hayashi also expressed concern that Tokyo was entering waters near Japan's Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which Beijing claims to be part of its territory.

Hayashi also said Japan was concerned about joint military exercises between China and Russia near Japanese territory.