China Vice Foreign Min To Visit Japan & SK For High-Level Talks

(MNI) London - The Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will travel to Japan and South Korea from 21-25 July for 'high-level strategic dialogue'. FM spox Lin Jian confirmed that Ma will hold the 16th China-Japan strategic dialogue in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart, Masataka Okano, and the 10th high-level foreign ministries strategic dialogue with South Korea's First Vice-Foreign Minister, Kim Hong-kyun, in Seoul.

• The talks come a day after China lodged solemn representations (i.e. expressing diplomatic discontent) with Japan over the annual 'Defence of Japan' white paper produced by the Japanese gov't and Self-Defence Forces. China alleged the paper was 'full of cliches' regarding Chinese foreign policy and 'uses China as an excuse to decieve the Japanese people'.
• The dialogue comes just over a month after thetrilateral summitinvolving Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, where Li hailed a 'new beginning' in relations.
• However, in a continued sign of regional tensions CNN has reported on the increasingly-close defence relationship between Japan and South Korea. Ahead of a trilateral meeting including US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. CQ Brown, Japanese Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida "said China was trying to “change the status quo by force” in the East China and South China seas".