May 5, 2023

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on May 4 held talks with Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo and requested the ambassador to convey to his government and the leadership of the Communist Party of China the JCP proposal to achieve a positive breakthrough in Japan-China relations.

Shii said that the JCP proposal which was released on March 30 calls for making positive breakthroughs in bilateral relations by making diplomatic efforts to: implement and give shape to an agreement made in the 2008 Japan-China Joint Statement; solve the territorial dispute through dialogue and consultation based on the four-point agreement which the two governments reached in 2014 regarding the issue of the Senkaku Islands; and promote bilateral cooperation for a peaceful East Asia in accordance with the same goal of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

Shii explained, “In preparing the proposal, what we kept in mind is to make the proposal acceptable for both Tokyo and Beijing and effective to improve the current situation in a positive manner.” He said that based on this stance, the JCP decided to not contain in the proposal its view on the Kishida administration-approved three key documents regarding Japan’s national security. He added, “In the proposal, we also kept away from touching on the divergence in views between the JCP and the CPC as well as the JCP and the Chinese government.”

The ambassador in reply said that he appreciated that the JCP places importance on Japan-China relations and understood that the JCP is deeply concerned about the current strained bilateral relations. Furthermore, he said that the JCP proposal has many points in common with his government and expressed his strong support for the need for the two governments to comply with past agreements. He said that the JCP proposal may be helpful for him when thinking about bilateral relations.

JCP Vice Chair Ogata Yasuo attended the talks.

Past related article:
> Shii calls on Kishida to make efforts to improve bilateral relations with China in a positive manner [March 31, 2023]