China, Japan hold first security talks in 4 years
China and Japan have kicked off their first formal security talks in 4 years, with Chinese officials expressing concern over Tokyo's military buildup and Japanese diplomats taking aim at Beijing's close relations with Russia and its suspected use of surveillance balloons.
The talks, aimed at easing tensions, began in the Japanese capital Tokyo on Wednesday.
They come amid Japan's worries that China may resort to force to take control of Taiwan in the wake of Russia's attack on Ukraine – a move that could lead to a wider conflict embroiling Tokyo and the United States, and disrupt international trade.
Japan in December said it would double defence spending over the next five years to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) – a total of 320bn US dollar – to deter China from resorting to military action. Tokyo also plans to acquire longer-range missiles that could strike mainland China and stock up on other munitions necessary to sustain a conflict alongside the large force from the United States that Japan hosts.
China, which increased defence spending by 7.1% previous year, spends more than four times as much as Japan on its armed forces.
The last security dialogue between China and Japan took place in Beijing in February 2019.
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