Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi (right) meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in New York on September 23, 2024. Photo: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Monday in New York at the latter's invitation. Wang said China's opposition to Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean is entirely justified, and that China will conduct an investigation and handle the individual case of the attack of a Japanese student in Shenzhen in accordance with the law, and the Japanese side should view this matter calmly and rationally, avoiding politicization and escalation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stated that comprehensively advancing the strategic mutually beneficial relationship between China and Japan is a shared responsibility of both sides. He hopes that Japan will work with China to grasp the correct direction of bilateral relations, implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations, according to a release published by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

Kamikawa said that Japan values its relationship with China. In the face of rising risks and challenges in the international situation, Japan and China should maintain communication and dialogue at all levels and in all fields, including negotiating solutions to the nuclear wastewater issue, and jointly safeguarding regional peace and development.

The important foundation of the bilateral relationship lies in the exchanges between the peoples of the two countries. The Japanese foreign minister said it is hoped that China will properly handle the case of the Shenzhen schoolboy and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China.

Wang stressed that China's opposition to Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean is entirely justified. Since Japan has agreed to accept long-term international monitoring arrangements and independent sampling and monitoring by relevant countries, including China, it should follow through on its commitments and avoid unnecessary complications.

China will investigate and handle the individual case of the Japanese schoolboy attack in Shenzhen in accordance with the law, and will continue to ensure the safety of all foreign citizens in China. Japan should view this matter calmly and rationally, avoiding politicization and escalation, said Wang.

Global Times