The deputy head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday hailed China's decision to vote in favor of a new U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution against North Korea to respond to its banned intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
"I would like to express my respect for China taking a proactive role," LDP Vice President Masahiko Komura told Song Tao, head of the international department of the Communist Party of China, as the two met at LDP headquarters in Tokyo. Members of the media were allowed to attend the start of their talks.
The 15-member UNSC on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution to ban Pyongyang's exports of coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood, which will slash its $3 billion in annual export revenues by a third. China, the reclusive nation's key benefactor, and Russia, which had opposed the sanctions, ended up supporting it.
"We hope every country will firmly comply with the resolution, deterring future missile launches by North Korea," said Komura, who heads the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union.
The former foreign minister also told Song he expects a trilateral summit for Japan, China and South Korea, as well as the first visit to Japan by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, to proceed as planned.
But Song merely said it was "important to develop an environment" for those events to take place, according to the LDP vice president.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who heads the LDP, aims to host the trilateral summit later this year in Tokyo. The three-way meeting was last held in Seoul in November 2015.
Song is visiting Japan to attend consultative talks between the ruling parties of the two countries. The talks also involve the LDP's junior coalition partner, Komeito.