The Ministry of Defense of Japan said yesterday that the Japan-China hotline has been opened.

The photo shows Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong (left) meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Lin Fangzheng (right) in February this year.

(AFP)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] Chinese and Japanese diplomatic and defense officials held the "Japan-China Security Dialogue" in Tokyo at the end of February. The construction of the China hotline has been completed. This hotline is part of the sea and air communication mechanism, which aims to promote trust between the defense authorities of Japan and China, so as to avoid accidental conflicts and other incidents.

According to Kyodo News, the Ministry of Defense of Japan stated yesterday (March 31) that the direct hotline between the defense departments of Japan and China has been opened. Prior to this, the two sides have discussed and coordinated for a long time, and agreed to enable the direct connection around spring. Telephone line, the hotline for the prevention of air and sea military incidental conflicts.

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Once the hotline is activated, the Ministry of Defense of Japan and the Ministry of National Defense of China will be able to use the hotline to communicate directly. The person in charge of the Ministry of Defense of Japan pointed out that in addition to avoiding incidents such as occasional conflicts, the hotline mechanism mainly hopes to promote mutual understanding and trust between Japan and China.

It is reported that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a summit meeting in November last year. At that time, the two had already reached a consensus on the bilateral hotline, but it has not yet started to operate.