Japan and China meet to discuss maritime issues as Beijing simulates attack on Taiwan
China, which considers Taiwan part of China, regards a meeting between the United States and a senior Taiwanese official as interference in its internal affairs.
It did not rule out the use of force to control areas deemed rogue.
On the Chinese side, Hong Liang is the director of the Bureau of Vigilance and Maritime Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and on the Japanese side, Takehiro Funakoshi is the director of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.
At their last meeting in November, Hong criticized Tokyo for commenting on China’s activities in the Taiwan Strait, which Japan separates the island from the mainland.
He also requested the withdrawal of Japanese ships from the waters surrounding the islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries.
Coast guard ships from both countries regularly face each other in the waters surrounding the Japanese-controlled island known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
The US has no stance on the sovereignty of the territory, but has said it would view any attempt by China to seize the island as an attack on its allies.
Last month, China and Japan set up a military hotline to quell air and sea incidents in disputed waters.
