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Alyssa Chen

China has approved a new Japanese acting consul general in Chongqing, ending an eight-month vacancy at the mission following a bilateral freeze.
Shigehiro Nishiumi, who previously served as Japan’s deputy consul general in Hong Kong, assumed the post at the diplomatic mission in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing on August 4, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported, citing an unnamed government source.
The Chongqing post had remained unoccupied since December 5, when former head of mission Mari Takada was transferred to lead the consulate in Shenyang in the northeast. Japanese media reported as early as January that Chinese authorities had stalled the approval of Tokyo’s request to send Takada’s successor.
When asked about the vacancy in January, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that Beijing was handling the matter “in accordance with procedures”.
The website of the Japanese consulate in Chongqing has not yet published any details about Nishiumi’s appointment. The South China Morning Post has contacted the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.


The long approval process mirrored the deteriorating ties between Asia’s two largest economies since November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told her country’s parliament that a People’s Liberation Army attack on Taiwan could threaten Japan’s survival and trigger a military response.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China and has not renounced the use of force to bring the self-governed island under its control. Most countries, including Japan and the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Tensions over Taiwan show no signs of abating. Tokyo said last week in its annual defence white paper that Beijing’s pursuit of reunification with Taiwan through grey-zone military activities was a growing concern.
Takaichi’s remarks last year prompted Beijing to respond with intense diplomatic pressure, restricting Japanese seafood imports, issuing tourist advisories and tightening controls on rare earth exports.
Beijing banned exports of dual-use goods to end users linked to the Japanese military in January, then added another 20 Japanese entities to its export-control list in June.
In recent months, Chinese authorities have detained several Japanese nationals over alleged violations of export restrictions on rare earths and dual-use items.
The diplomatic chill has also taken a heavy toll on commercial exchanges. A 200-member delegation of Japanese business executives was forced to cancel its annual visit to Beijing in January for the first time in 13 years.
Tokyo’s business sector has been trying to send smaller delegations to China to explore ways to improve ties with Beijing.
Several Japanese economic groups have announced plans to visit China in September and October, including the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade and the Kansai Economic Federation.
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Shigehiro Nishiumi fills post at consulate in southwestern megacity left open amid diplomatic row over Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan comments


Shigehiro Nishiumi fills post at consulate in southwestern megacity left open amid diplomatic row over Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan comments.


China approves Japanese envoy in Chongqing, ending 8-month vacancy

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Shigehiro Nishiumi fills post at consulate in southwestern megacity left open amid diplomatic row over Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan comments

Shigehiro Nishiumi fills post at consulate in southwestern megacity left open amid diplomatic row over Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan comments