On November 22, 2022, Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Hong Liang and Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Takehiro Funakoshi co-chaired the 14th round of consultations under the China-Japan High-level Consultation Mechanism on Maritime Affairs via video link. Also attended the meeting were officials from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Energy Administration, and China Coast Guard, as well as Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Secretariat, Fishery Agency, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Japan Coast Guard, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Ministry of Defense.

The two sides held a plenary meeting and three working group meetings on maritime defense, maritime law enforcement and security, and marine economy, and conducted broad and in-depth exchanges of views on maritime issues, as well as exchanges and cooperation in the maritime field. Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important common understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries at their meeting in Bangkok, take building a stable and constructive China-Japan relationship fit for the new era as a guide, and take the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations this year and the 45th anniversary of the signing of China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship next year as the opportunity to step up dialogue and communication on maritime issues, properly manage problems and disagreements, further advance maritime practical cooperation and personnel exchanges, and work actively to build the East China Sea into a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship.

The Chinese side reiterated its position on the East China Sea, Diaoyu Islands and South China Sea issues, and urged Japan to respect China's territorial sovereignty and security concerns, stop all acts that violate China's sovereignty, stop taking actions that may complicate the situation, and avoid affecting the stability of the maritime situation. China deplored Japan's recent negative remarks and wrong acts on the Taiwan Strait question, stressed that the Taiwan question bears on the political foundation of China-Japan relations and the basic trust between the two sides, and urged Japan to handle it in good faith and appropriately. China once again expressed concern about Japan's plan to release nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and urged Japan to prudently handle the issue of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water.

The two sides reach the following common understandings on specific cooperation:

First, the two sides highly acclaimed the performance of the defense sector's maritime and air liaison mechanism and the important progress in the launch of a direct telephone line under the mechanism, and confirmed that they will follow up on the subsequent work at a faster pace for early completion and launch of the telephone line. The two sides agreed to continue exchanges in the defense field.

Second, China Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard are ready to step up cooperation in combating cross-border crimes at sea, continue exchanges between officers of maritime law enforcement and between students of coast guard academies, and strengthen cooperation under multilateral cooperation mechanisms on maritime law enforcement.

Third, the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center and the Japan Coast Guard will continue deepening practical cooperation in the field of maritime search and rescue within the framework of the China-Japan Maritime Search and Rescue Agreement. The two sides have reviewed the communication exercises held by local maritime search and rescue departments of the two countries this year and confirmed further cooperation.

Fourth, the two sides agreed to actively carry out bilateral and multilateral cooperation in dealing with marine plastic debris, and work together to ensure the success of the 4th China-Japan Experts Dialogue Platform Meeting on Marine Debris Cooperation and the 4th China-Japan Marine Debris Seminar in 2023.

Fifth, the two sides agreed to continue joint combat against illegal fishing and carry out cooperation on conserving fishery resources and preserving eel resources in the North Pacific, among other things. The two sides agreed to resolve existing problems in the fishery sector through negotiation and consultation, strive for an early resumption of the China-Japan Joint Committee on Fisheries and fully implement the China-Japan Fisheries Agreement.

Sixth, the two sides exchanged views on carrying out cooperation in areas such as marine scientific research and innovative technologies for developing the blue economy. The two sides agreed to continue strengthening exchanges and coordination between counterpart departments to enhance understanding and mutual trust.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Japan High-level Consultation Mechanism on Maritime Affairs. Taking stock of the development of the mechanism over the past ten years, the two sides fully affirmed the important role of the mechanism in enhancing mutual understanding and trust, maintaining maritime peace and stability, improving maritime institution-building, and promoting pragmatic cooperation. The two sides shared the view that they should bear in mind the evolution of international and regional situations and the big picture of China-Japan relations, have more strategic thinking and top-level designs, give better play to the role of the mechanism, strengthen dialogue and communication, strive to narrow differences and expand cooperation, and contribute to the long-term stability of the East China Sea.

The two sides agreed in principle to hold the 15th round of consultations under the China-Japan High-level Consultation Mechanism on Maritime Affairs at an appropriate time next year.