LDP Urges China to Resume Seafood and Beef Imports... High-Level Meeting with Chinese Officials

'China-Japan Ruling Parties Exchange Council' Held for the First Time in Six Years
Moriyama Meets with Wang Yi for Talks

Hiroshi Moriyama, Secretary-General of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who visited China, requested the Chinese Communist Party to resume imports of Japanese seafood, which have been completely suspended since August 2023 due to the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

On the 14th in Beijing, China, Moriya (left), Secretary-General, shakes hands with Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister. [Photo by Xinhua News Agency]

According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 14th, Secretary-General Moriyama made these remarks at the 'China-Japan Ruling Parties Exchange Council' held in Beijing with the Chinese Communist Party.

Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba confirmed their intention to implement the agreement to resume imports of Japanese seafood at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Lima, Peru, in November last year.

Secretary-General Moriyama also requested cooperation to resume exports of Japanese beef to China. China has not imported Japanese beef since 2001 due to the occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, mad cow disease) in Japan.

This ruling party exchange council was held for the first time in six years since October 2018. The Japanese delegation included Secretary-General Moriyama and Makoto Nishida, Secretary-General of the coalition partner Komeito. From the Chinese side, Liu Jianchao, Deputy Director of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party, attended.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency did not mention Japan's request to resume imports of seafood and beef but reported that Secretary-Generals Moriyama and Nishida emphasized that "the resumption of the China-Japan ruling parties exchange mechanism meeting plays an important role in improving and developing bilateral relations." They also added, "We are willing to strengthen exchanges between political parties in China and Japan, promote friendly feelings among the peoples, and deepen practical cooperation."

Deputy Director Liu said, "China should work with Japan to implement the shared understanding of the two leaders, uphold peaceful coexistence, harmony and mutual prosperity, and 'harmony without uniformity,' and promote the building of a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship suited to the new era." He also mentioned, "The ruling parties of both countries should strengthen communication and lead the healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations through actions."

According to Nikkei, Deputy Director Liu said, "We hope that the Japanese side will build a peaceful coexistence relationship from a strategic perspective with the recognition that China and Japan are partners."

Secretary-Generals Moriyama and Nishida also held talks with Wang Yi, Director of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee (also serving as Foreign Minister), on the same day. Secretary-General Moriyama stated, "We want to concretize cooperation in visible forms so that the people of both countries can feel the development of relations." He also reportedly requested Wang's early visit to Japan, according to Kyodo News.

Director Wang mentioned, "The ruling parties of both countries share a heavy responsibility." Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya also held talks with Director Wang in Beijing last month and requested an early visit to Japan.

The visiting delegation is also scheduled to meet Wang Huning, Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), ranked fourth in China's official hierarchy, to deliver a letter from Prime Minister Ishiba.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.