From June 29 to 30, 2017, the seventh round of China-Japan high-level consultations on maritime affairs was held in Fukuoka, Japan. Departments of China including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Oceanic Administration, the National Energy Administration and China Coast Guard, and departments of Japan including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet Office, the Fisheries Agency, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the Coast Guard, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Defense respectively sent officials to attend.

The two sides held the plenary session of the consultation mechanism and the meetings of four working groups under the mechanism on politics and law, maritime defense, maritime law enforcement and security, and maritime economy, exchanging views on relevant issues concerning the East China Sea, and discussing specific ways of conducting maritime cooperation.

First, both sides agreed to start as soon as possible the air and sea liaison mechanism between the defense ministries of China and Japan and to further promote exchanges on defense.

Second, the Border Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of China and the Japan Coast Guard, further exchanged views on strengthening bilateral intelligence information exchanges and preventing and combating smuggling, human smuggling, drug trafficking and other law enforcement cooperation in cross-border crime according to the minutes two sides have signed.

Third, the China Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard confirmed the role of the existing contact window. In order to further enhance mutual trust, the two sides reached agreements on strengthening the exchange of information and promoting the exchange of working staff, and exchanged in-depth views on strengthening cooperation between maritime law enforcement agencies of the two countries.

Fourth, both sides actively commented the First China-Japan Experts Dialogue Platform Meeting on Marine Debris Cooperation held in Dalian this March, and decided to hold the second meeting in Japan in 2018. Both sides agreed to hold Marine Debris Seminar in Shanghai this November and to conduct cooperative research on marine debris through the implementation of joint investigation within the year.

Fifth, both sides reconfirmed the importance of China-Japan Maritime Search and Rescue Agreement and agreed to continue to conduct marine search and rescue cooperation under bilateral and multilateral frameworks.

Sixth, both sides agreed that the competent departments of the two countries continue to carry out cooperation in maritime ship safety and pollution prevention and control.

Seventh, both sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the consensus of principles concerning the East China Sea issue and agreed to continue to hold discussion on it.

Eighth, both sides confirmed the importance of strengthening the protection and management of fishery resources and agreed to continue to enhance cooperation in fishery.

Ninth, both sides agreed in principle to hold the eighth round of China-Japan high-level consultations on maritime affairs in China latter this year.