TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa said Tuesday that a planned hotline between Japanese and Chinese defense authorities is expected to go into operation around next spring.

“We hope to promote talks with the Chinese side” for the launch of the hotline, he told a press conference.

The hotline is expected to work as a central tool in the bilateral communication mechanism, which will be operated in times of emergency at sea or in the sky, such as unintended clashes of aircraft or ships from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese military.

At their meeting in the Thai capital of Bangkok in mid-November, Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio and Chinese President Xi Jinping confirmed that the two countries will launch the hotline soon.

China has been stepping up military activities around Japan in recent years, resulting in tensions running high.

Hayashi said that an early opening of the hotline is extremely important in building trust between the Japanese and Chinese defense authorities and avoiding unexpected situations.

JIJI Press