China hosted the ninth China-Japan high-level political dialogue on August 17, 2022 in Tianjin. The high-level gathering was co-chaired by Yang Jiechi, Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and Akiba Takeo Secretary-General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat. This dialogue took place as Tokyo and Beijing prepare to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties on September 29. It is important to mention that this dialogue followed China’s cancellation of the foreign ministers meeting of the two sides after Japan signed on a statement issued by some countries from the Group of Seven (G7), which protested against China’s military drills and war games in close proximity to Taiwan.[1] China termed these statements by Japanese officials as “serious provocation”.[2] The timing of this dialogue is of great significance in the wake of escalating tensions in Taiwan and growing resentment between Washington and Beijing.
