China urges Japan not to abet US on tech containment

Beijing has urged Tokyo not to follow the US lead in tech restrictions against China, with the Chinese foreign minister saying Japan should not “help a villain do evil”.

In talks in the Chinese capital on Sunday, Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his visiting Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, that the United States “used bullying tactics to brutally suppress the Japanese semiconductor industry, and now it is repeating its old tricks against China”.

“Japan has suffered that pain, and should not help a villain do evil. The containment will only further stimulate China’s determination to become self-reliant,” Qin said.

The meeting came two days after Tokyo announced it would restrict semiconductor equipment exports from July, following months of lobbying by the United States.

Qin said the two countries should “overcome obstacles and move forward”, saying “clique-forming” and containment was “not helpful” to managing conflicts.

“Peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation are the only correct choices for China-Japan relations,” he said.

“In the face of contradictions and differences, forming cliques, exerting pressure through rhetoric will not help solve the problem, but will only deepen the estrangement between each other.

“[We] hope that Japan will establish a correct understanding of China, show political wisdom and responsibility, and work together with China to strengthen dialogue and communication, and promote practical cooperation.”

Qin also warned Japan not to interfere in Taiwan affairs and to properly handle nuclear waste from the Fukushima disaster.

Hayashi, the first Japanese foreign minister to visit China in three years, opened his comments by saying the two countries were neighbours separated by “a narrow strip of water”.

While facing “numerous challenges” in bilateral relations, greater communication was needed to ensure a “constructive and stable relationship”, the Japanese foreign ministry quoted him as saying.

One of those challenges is the detention last month of a Japanese employee of pharmaceutical firm Astellas Pharma on suspicion of espionage.

Hayashi called for the detainee’s early release while Qin said China would “lawfully handle” the case.

Hayashi also raised Japan’s “serious concerns” about Chinese coastguard vessels sailing near the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu in China, a chain of disputed islands administered by Japan but also claimed by China.

In addition, he called on China to play a “responsible role” in the Ukraine crisis, ensure stability in the Taiwan Strait and address human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Japanese news group Nikkei reported that Hayashi’s talks with Qin lasted around four hours, longer than the planned 2½ hours. The two also agreed to resume trilateral dialogue with South Korea.

Hayashi also met Premier Li Qiang before heading into a dinner with top diplomat Wang Yi.

Relations between the two East Asian powers have been strained in recent years as Tokyo embraces the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, an effort seen in Beijing as an attempt to contain China.

Ties were further strained last month by Japan’s decision to station troops and missiles on a new base on the remote Ishigaki island near Taiwan.

Chinese and Japanese forces regularly come face to face in the East China Sea, particularly in the Senkakus.

Japan scrambled jets after Russian and Chinese bombers flew near its airspace during a Quad summit in May.

But the two countries have made some positive steps towards better management of their conflicts, with the announcement on Friday of the opening of a direct military hotline to control any air or maritime incidents. South China Morning Post