Talks on seafood trade are expected to be on the agenda on Wednesday when Japan’s foreign minister visits China, Japan’s largest export market for aquatic products until Beijing placed a blanket ban in protest against Tokyo releasing treated radioactive wastewater into the ocean.
It would be Takeshi Iwaya’s first visit to the Chinese capital since he became Japan’s foreign minister in October and he is scheduled to hold talks with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and meet other Chinese officials.
A major sticking point in bilateral trade has been Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater discharge. Beijing had strongly opposed and condemned Tokyo’s decision on that and tightened inspections on Japanese goods in response.
China imposed a full ban in August last year after Japan began releasing the treated radioactive water but both governments reached an agreement in September that would set a path toward restarting seafood shipments from Japan to China.
Nikkei reported this week that China was contemplating lifting the import ban on Japanese seafood.
But China still wants reassurances from Tokyo that it would fulfil its commitment to setting up a long-term international monitoring arrangement and allowing stakeholders such as China to conduct independent sampling and monitoring of the treated water.
With sufficient monitoring, China will “adjust relevant measures” and gradually restore imports that meet standards and regulations, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The one-day visit follows an agreement between leaders of both countries that they will work towards a mutually beneficial strategic relationship, strengthening communication at various levels.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/chinese-japanese-foreign-ministers-meet-in-beijing-discussing-resuming-seafood-trade-13847389.html.
