Due to an island group in the East China Sea, tensions between China and Japan have repeatedly escalated. To prevent military clashes in the future, a hotline has now been established between both countries.
Japan and China have spoken for the first time via a newly created military hotline. Both countries had wanted to establish this “hotline” for more than ten years. The hotline is intended to help avoid military clashes in the East China Sea. The Senkaku Island group controlled by Japan is also claimed by China – where it is called Diaoyu.
Communication channel to maintain peace According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu spoke to each other for about 20 minutes over the “hotline”. Both ministers emphasized the importance of a communication channel for sea and air travel in order to build trust.
Beijing confirmed the phone call and stated that the new communication channel contributes to “maintaining regional peace and stability”.
In November of last year, the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced a hotline at a meeting in Bangkok, according to “the japan times” portal.
Chinese warships off the Japanese coast In the islands of the East China Sea, military encounters occur frequently, and Chinese warships often patrol off the Japanese coast. Joint Russian-Chinese maneuvers also unsettle Japan, which publicly protested against the presence of Chinese ships near the island group and in other regions. Hamada said that honest communication is important, especially when relations are not so good.
As the world’s second and third-largest economies, China and Japan are important trading partners and have had diplomatic relations for more than 50 years.