Senior officials from Japan and China held their first security dialogue in four years to maintain and strengthen mutual trust between the two countries amid the scandal over suspected spy balloons launched by China. During a meeting in Tokyo, representatives of the foreign and defense ministries The two countries are likely to agree to continue working together to build a constructive and stable bilateral relationship. During the talks, Japan’s First Vice Foreign Minister Shigeo Yamada expressed concern over alleged Chinese spy balloons and Beijing’s large-scale military action.
For his part, Sun Weidong, China’s vice foreign minister, warned of Tokyo’s “negative moves,” as he put it. Three unidentified flying objects seen over Japanese airspace from 2019 to 2021 were “strongly suspected” of being Chinese spy drones.
China denied involvement, criticized Japan for “making up stories of slander and attacks” on Beijing without providing any clear evidence, and urged Tokyo to stop following Washington’s approach of exaggerating Chinese threats.
