Defense ministers of Japan, China launch hotline to avoid conflict, restore confidence

The defense ministers of Japan and China on Tuesday launched the much-anticipated hotline between the two countries. This hotline has been started at a time when Japan and other neighboring countries are concerned about the increasing military activities of Beijing. Japan’s Defense Ministry said Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu spoke for about 20 minutes via the hotline for the first time since it was set up on March 31. The two ministers welcomed the launch of the hotline and reaffirmed the importance of “sea and air communication mechanisms” including the hotline, which build trust between the two sides during any contingency.

Tokyo and Beijing are embroiled in a dispute over small Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. On the islands and other disputes between Japan and China, Hamada said clear communication between them is necessary, especially when their relations are not that good. Hamada and Lee also made sure the hotline was working properly, and agreed to continue communication between their respective defense officials. The hotline was initially agreed upon in 2018 between then-prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe and then-premier of China Li Keqiang as a way to avoid accidental clashes between the armies of the two countries.

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