Japan calls for ‘self-restraint’ from China after joint fly-past with Russian fighter jets

Name: Russian and Chinese bombers flew near Japan during Quad summit in Tokyo
Uploaded: 2022-06-12T12:50:31.000Z
Duration: 1 min 4 s
Description: Russian and Chinese bombers flew near Japan during Quad summit in Tokyo

Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi raises concerns at meeting with Chinese counterpart in Singapore over ‘attempts to alter the status quo by force’

‘We need to have candid communication,’ Kishi says, as he highlights need for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait

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Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi at the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

Kyodo

Published: 8:50pm, 12 Jun 2022Updated: 8:57pm, 12 Jun 2022

Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi has conveyed to China his concerns after Chinese and Russian bombers recently flew near Japan in a joint “show of force”.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe in Singapore, Kishi said he had called for “self-restraint” from Beijing in the East China and South China seas, and raised strong concerns over its “unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force”.

The two ministers agreed to promote interaction and dialogue between their respective defence authorities, Kishi said. “Since Japan-China relations have matters of concern, we need to have candid communication,” he noted.

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Russian and Chinese bombers flew near Japan during Quad summit in Tokyo

Kishi and Wei met on the sidelines of the three-day Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, which ended on Sunday. The talks were the first in-person meeting between the defence chiefs of the two neighbouring countries since December 2019.

The Japanese defence ministry said at least six Chinese and Russian strategic bombers flew a long distance over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the Pacific on May 24, the same day that the leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India were meeting for a Quad summit in Tokyo.

“A series of joint actions” by Beijing and Moscow, such as the joint flight, were still continuing, Kishi added, without elaborating.

The talks also came as Japan said Chinese vessels had repeatedly intruded into waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, a group of disputed Tokyo-controlled uninhabited islets that Beijing claims as the Diaoyus.