Japan-China cooperation

Japanese media is reporting from the meeting today in Beijing between Japanese and Chinese ministers regarding food safety cooperation. This was the first meeting under a new dialogue framework set up to enhance mutually beneficial economic ties, with an unprecedented six cabinet members from Tokyo participating, according to Kyodo:

The ministers agreed that the Japanese and Chinese economies are in a "win-win" relationship, according to a joint document issued after the Japan-China High-Level Economic Dialogue.

During the half-day meeting, the participants agreed on exchanging information on food safety, which has recently emerged as a social problem in both countries, and on launching a working group to help China promote measures aimed at reducing air pollution and curbing global warming simultaneously.

We might hear a lot about tension between Japan and China, but there are also signs of closer ties between the two countries. These are countries with relations stretching back a very long time. I look forward to a lot of good news on issues and problems that Japan and China will discuss over the next few years. Stay tuned.

(Kyodo is the official "non-profit cooperative" news organ of Japan, founded in 1972, with a history going back to 1945. Unfortunately, their English website is not particularly developed and a lot of links require (paid) registration. That is just old. Even The New York Times has scrapped its subscription policy, understanding that in the age of the Internet, you have got to be accessible. Having said that, Kyodo does a great job supplying news not only in Japanese, but also in Chinese, and I check their English page when NHK World is lacking in detail. Kyodo also used to have a link exchange with South Korea's official news organ, Yonhap, but that link is now broken and noone seems to have noticed. Pity, pity.)