China welcomes more defense exchanges with Japan

The China-Japan maritime and air liaison mechanism is a useful tool to help avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments between the two countries, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked for comments on the first annual meeting of the China-Japan maritime and air liaison mechanism held Dec. 26 to 27 in Beijing. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on setting up the mechanism during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Japan in May.

Hua said the establishment and enablement of the mechanism had positive meaning for the two countries' security departments in promoting understanding, strengthening mutual trust and avoiding misunderstandings and misjudgments, as well as maintaining peace and stability of the area.

Talking about the possible exchange of visits for naval fleets between China and Japan in 2019, Hua said more exchanges from defense departments is beneficial to properly handling disputes and consolidating mutual trust in security. The two countries should build constructive bilateral security relations, so as to inject positive energy for the continuous improvement and long-term stable development of China-Japan relations, said the spokesperson.