Japan, China work to finalize deal on air, naval liaison mechanisms

March 26, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese and Chinese governments are working to finalize an agreement to launch liaison mechanisms between the two countries' air and naval forces to avoid unintended military clashes in and over the East China Sea, informed sources said Monday.

The agreement is expected to be announced following a planned meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Tokyo in early May, on the sidelines of a trilateral summit among the two countries plus South Korea.

Japan and China appear to hope that the anticipated announcement will highlight an improvement in their bilateral ties.

The two governments aim to work out the details of the liaison mechanisms at a high-level working session as early as next month, to be put into operation promptly.

In 2008, Japan and China started negotiations on the mechanisms, which will include a hot line between defense authorities, as well as a system to enable direct communication if ships or aircraft from the two sides come close to each other.

One thorny issue has been the areas where the direct communication system will cover, given China's claim of sovereignty over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands.

But the two countries are now expected not to specify the system's coverage areas, as discussed at a working-level session last December. Jiji Press