Japan Press Weekly

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2025 April 30 - May 13 [JCP]

JCP CC Chair at talks between Japanese lawmakers’ group and CPC senior officials speaks about peacebuilding in East Asia

Japanese Communist Party Central Committee Chair Shii Kazuo visited Beijing between April 27 and April 29 as a member of the Japan-China Parliamentarians’ Friendship League delegation.

At meetings held between the delegation and senior officials of the Communist Party of China, he talked about the JCP position regarding the two countries’ relationship and peacebuilding efforts in East Asia.

In a meeting with Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, on April 28, Shii outlined the JCP proposals for a positive breakthrough in Japan-China relations and for peacebuilding in East Asia. Stating that with several factors, such as the inauguration of the Trump administration, the environment surrounding Japan and China has become complicated, and he said that under this situation, the important points in regard to furthering improvement in the bilateral relations are:

- To respect the agreement, confirmed in the 2008 “Joint Statement”, that the “two sides are partners and are not threats to each other”, and take adequate action in compliance with the agreement;
- To adhere to a position of striving to resolve issues through “dialogue and consultation,” which was agreed upon in 2014 in regard to the issue of the Senkaku Islands and the situation in the East China Sea; and
- To seek to advance the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), an inclusive framework championed by the two governments, as a multinational framework for peace in East Asia.

Shii stressed that regarding the issue of Taiwan, the JCP is opposed to China’s threat to use force as well as to the U.S. military involvement and interference in Taiwan. He said, “We strongly hope for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is vital for regional and international peace and stability.”

Noting that Shii emphasized the importance of the principle of “not becoming threats to each other”, Liu said that he attached importance to Shii’s proposal.

On the following day, at a meeting with Zhao Leji, the third-ranked member of the CPC and the chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Shii again said that the two nations’ agreement that they “are partners who cooperate each other and are not threats to each other” is the most critical principle to stand by at the present moment. He stressed that to act in accordance with this principle is a major key to making progress in bilateral relations. He said, “The JCP will work hard for the further development of relations between the two countries from the viewpoint that to develop the JCP-CPC ties will contribute to enriching Japan-China relations.”

Zhao in reply expressed his intent to strengthen political parties’ cooperation and to promote further exchanges.

In the meeting, the NPC chair said that differences in views are inevitable, but from a long-term, big-picture perspective, the four basic agreements between China and Japan and the principle of “being partners in mutual cooperation and not becoming a threat to each other” are important. Regarding issues related to the East China Sea, he said that it is important to control those issues through consultation and dialogue.

Past related articles:
> Shii publishes JCP diplomatic proposal for peacebuilding in East Asia [April 18, 2024]
> Shii calls on Kishida to make efforts to improve bilateral relations with China in a positive manner [March 31, 2023]