Pirates, Korean Peninsula to top defense chiefs' agenda

By Zhang Haizhou and Wang Linyan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-20 08:03

The Korean Peninsula situation and the mission to combat pirates in Somali waters will top the agenda of today's meeting between Chinese and Japanese defense ministers in Beijing, media reported Thursday.

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Thursday he would pay a two-day visit to China from today, meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie, the Kyodo news agency reported.

"During the upcoming meeting, I expect we will have a frank exchange of opinions on each other's defense policies, regional affairs and future defense exchanges," Hamada was quoted as saying.

Kyodo said the defense ministers are expected to reaffirm their countries' positions on asking the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to refrain from a satellite launch.

Hamada told a press conference on Tuesday: "No launch would ensure the ultimate reassurance and safety We should urge North Korea to avoid the possibility that an object reaches our territorial waters and air space, not to mention our lands."

The launch was scheduled for between April 4 and 8, the DPRK had said earlier.

Hamada and Liang will also trade views on how they can cooperate in operations combating pirates off the Somali coast, for which both countries have committed naval vessels, Japanese Defense Ministry officials said.

China said yesterday that Hamada's visit would enhance healthy and stable bilateral ties over the long term.

Cooperation on fighting Somali pirates among all nations should be "in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and international laws", Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular briefing yesterday.

"We believe communication between both sides' defense chiefs would help improve trust between both armies," Qin said.

Hamada's trip will be the first by Japan's top defense official since Shigeru Ishiba visited the country in 2003 as director general of what was then the Defense Agency, which was upgraded to a ministry in 2007.

Hamada will meet with Wu Bangguo, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the country's top legislature, and visit a People's Liberation Army brigade in Beijing tomorrow.