Japan to Resume Maritime Talks with China in Tokyo
China and Japan have agreed to hold a meeting in Tokyo next Monday to discuss the development of a maritime crisis management mechanism according to Japanese defense sources.
The maritime crisis management system will be aimed at averting unwanted clashes around the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, reports China's news agency Xinhua.
The defense departments of the two sides reached consensus over this issue about two-and-a-half years ago, but further talks have been stalled following Japan's declaration of nationalizing three of China's Diaoyu Islands.
The consensus included scheduling regular meetings and setting up a hotline between the defense departments, as well as using the same radio frequency between ships and flights.
The islands are officially controlled by Japan, but are claimed by China, with both governments flexing their muscles with naval ships in the area, creating a tense situation in which clashes between the two major Asian powers could spiral out of control.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in talks last November to ease tensions over the sovereignty of the islands and establish the crisis management mechanism, but China's move to establish a military base in the area heightened concerns once more.
