Press Releases
Seventh Round Meeting of the Japan-China High-Level Consultation on Maritime Affairs
On June 29 and 30, the seventh round meeting of the Japan-China high-level consultation on maritime affairs was held in Fukuoka City. The overview of the meeting is as follows. (Japanese officials attended from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Office (National Ocean Policy Secretariat), Fisheries Agency, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Japan Coast Guard, Ministry of the Environment, and Ministry of Defense. Chinese officials attended from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Office for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Agriculture, State Oceanic Administration, National Energy Administration, China Coast Guard and other organizations.)
The two sides held a plenary meeting and 1) policy and law of the sea working group meeting, 2) maritime defense working group meeting, 3) maritime law enforcement and maritime safety working group meeting, and 4) maritime economy working group meeting, and exchanged views on various matters related to the East China Sea and tangible ways to promote maritime cooperation.
1. Both sides agreed to begin operation of a Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism between the Japan-China defense authorities promptly, and to further promote defense exchanges.
2. The Japan Coast Guard and the Border Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of China exchanged views on strengthening the exchange of information between the two sides, as well as on strengthening law enforcement cooperation in the field of combating transnational crimes such as smuggling, illegal migration and narcotics trading, in line with the proceedings from a meeting of the heads of these two organizations.
3. The Japan Coast Guard and the China Coast Guard appreciated the role of existing contact points for dialogue, and shared the view that they would promote the strengthening of information exchanges and working-level people-to-people exchanges in order to further cultivate trust. The two sides held a further exchange of views on strengthening cooperation between the maritime legal enforcement agencies of the two countries.
4. Both sides actively appreciated that the first meeting of a dialogue platform of experts regarding Japan-China cooperation on ocean debris was held in Dalian in March this year, and shared the view that the second meeting would be held in Japan in 2018. Both sides shared the view that a workshop on Japan-China cooperation on ocean debris would be held in Shanghai in November this year, and that they would pursue joint research on ocean debris through the implementation of a joint study by the end of this year.
5. Both sides reconfirmed the importance of signing the Japan-China Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) agreement promptly, and shared the view that they would continue to pursue SAR cooperation under bilateral and multilateral frameworks in the future.
6. Both sides shared the view that in the future also, they would continue to pursue cooperation between the relevant organizations of the two countries in connection with the safety of maritime vessels and pollution prevention.
7. The two sides held a more in-depth exchange of views on issues related to the “2008 Agreement” on the development of natural resources in the East China Sea, and agreed to continue these discussions.
8. Both sides confirmed the importance of strengthening the protection and management of fisheries resources, and shared the view that they would pursue cooperation in the fishing industry.
9. Both sides shared the view that in principle, the Eighth Round Meeting and Working Group Meetings of the Japan-China High-Level Consultation on Maritime Affairs would be held in China this year.