By Mina Pollmann
Japan and China’s talks on a maritime communication mechanism have a convoluted history.
On November 4, in Kuala Lumpur, the Japanese and Chinese defense ministers met for the first time since June 2011. During their meeting, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Chinese Defense Minister General Chang Wanquan affirmed the importance of a maritime communication mechanism to prevent accidental clashes at sea and in the air, and agreed to the early launch of such a mechanism.
After the meeting, Nakatani commented, “Defense cooperation and exchanges [between Japan and China] are necessary for stability in the Asian region… I want to make further efforts to call for such talks in order to develop our relationship.”
However, rhetoric outpaced substance at the meeting: the two sides did not make much progress in establishing the mechanism, did not set up a timeline for the implementation of such a mechanism, and could not agree on whether the proposed mechanism should or should not include the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are claimed by both Japan and China. Tokyo does not want the mechanism to cover the Senkaku/Diaoyus because they maintain that there is no dispute over the islands, while Beijing wants the mechanism to cover a wider area, including the Senkaku/Diaoyus.
Negotiations over a maritime communication mechanism have been long-running and are proceeding on multiple tracks. There is the Japan-China Maritime Communications Mechanism (JCMCM), the Maritime Search and Rescue Cooperation Agreement (SAR Agreement), and the High-Level Consultation on Maritime Affairs (High-Level Consultations). Each proposed agreement has a slightly different purpose: the JCMCM is primarily a defense arrangement, the SAR Agreement a civilian arrangement, and the High-Level Consultation a forum to bring together a myriad of stakeholders in a whole-of-government effort. Each agreement has been proceeding – on again, off again – on its own schedule. (For more details on the three different tracks, see the 2013 study, “Japan-China Maritime Confidence Building and Communications Mechanisms,” published by Pacific Forum CSIS).
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