Japan's new China ambassador says to push for steady bilateral ties
CGTN

Japan's new ambassador Hideo Tarumi has said that he hopes to promote ties with China and high-level exchanges, before he leaves for his tenure to Beijing in November.

Japan and China should maintain a steady and constructive bilateral relationship, and leaders of the two countries should have a stable and instant communication channel, Tarumi said in a recent interview with Phoenix TV.

The veteran diplomat, known as a China expert, was appointed as the new ambassador last month. The 59-year-old will replace Yutaka Yokoi, who has been in the post since May 2016.

Tarumi said Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government will seek to remain the current China policy unchanged. 

When asked whether China-Japan ties would be affected by the Japan's alliance with the U.S., Tarumi said what affects Japan's China policy is Japan's national interests, not U.S. national interests.

Asked how to balance its relations with the U.S. and relations with China, Tarumi said Japan-U.S. alliance is fundamental to Japan, but he also emphasized that Japan and China, as close neighbors, must maintain communication especially high-level exchanges.

China and Japan are closely connected on many fronts. China is Japan's largest trading partner. The bilateral trade exceeded $315 billion in 2019 and people-to-people exchanges last year hit a record high of 12.8 million.

(Cover: Japan's new ambassador to China Hideo Tarumi /Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 

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