Japan urges peace between China, Taiwan, raises HK concerns

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart, stressed the importance of peace and stability between China and Taiwan and expressed “serious concern” about the situation in Hong Kong and China’s Xinjiang region. Japan’s Foreign Ministry says Hayashi also told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that he is gravely concerned about increased Chinese activities in regional seas, including near a Japanese-controlled island claimed by Beijing. Japan sees China’s increasingly assertive actions in the region as a national security threat and has been building up its defense on its southwestern islands.