Squo soles—hotlines are in place to de-escalate tensions over the Senkaku islands

Rieko Miki, "Japan and China set up hotline to prevent maritime, air clashes," Nikkei Asia, 4-1-2023, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Defense/Japan-and-China-set-up-hotline-to-prevent-maritime-air-clashes-- 嘉玮

TOKYO -- A hotline linking the Japanese and Chinese defense authorities has been completed, the Ministry of Defense here said Friday, part of an effort to prevent accidental clashes in the air and sea.

The two sides aim to begin operation of the hotline this spring.

The announcement came ahead of a meeting between Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Beijing this weekend.

The hotline is part of a maritime and aerial communication mechanism that "aims to foster trust between Japanese and Chinese defense authorities as well as to avoid contingencies," Japan's Defense Ministry said.

China's Ministry of National Defense said the hotline will "strengthen the capabilities of both sides to manage and control maritime and air crisis, and help maintain regional peace and stability."

Beijing has been raising security concerns here with its growing presence in the East China Sea, including around the Senkaku Islands, which China claims and calls the Diaoyu.

An agreement to establish the hotline had been in place for some time without a target for beginning operation. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed at a November 2022 summit to launch the hotline at an early date.