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Foreign Minister Steinmeier leaves for Japan and China

10.04.2014 - Press release

Foreign Minister Steinmeier is setting off today (Thursday) on a trip to Asia which will take him, among other places, to Tokyo, Hiroshima and Beijing. He issued the following statement in Berlin today (10 April) ahead of his departure:

Disarmament and non-proliferation are important German foreign policy objectives. Together with our partners from the NPDI Initiative, we want to demonstrate our strong commitment to nuclear disarmament at the symbol site where the first atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima.
We are engaged in an intensive political dialogue with Japan and China, which includes the current crises. China’s President Xi recently came on a state visit to Germany, and Japan’s Prime Minister Abe will be visiting Germany in a few weeks’ time.

Asia has undergone rapid development during the last few decades. Japan has long since been our partner in the G8, while China’s role in the world has grown considerably. In our talks in Tokyo and Beijing, we want to consult closely on how to deal with the current conflicts and further expand our bilateral relations.

Background to the trip:

In Tokyo, Foreign Minister Steinmeier will meet Prime Minister Abe. In Hiroshima, the Minister will take part in the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI) and will have talks with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida. In China, the Minister will visit Beijing and Hebei province and have talks with, among others, China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang and his Chinese opposite number, Wang Yi.

Bilateral relations: Japan

Bilateral relations: China


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