China to Legally Resolve Case of Japanese Citizen Suspected of Espionage: Foreign Minister

11:56 GMT, 2 April 2023

BEIJING (Sputnik) - China will deal with the Japanese national, detained on suspicion of espionage, in accordance with the law, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Sunday during talks with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, in Beijing.

Sputnik

"Regarding the case of a Japanese citizen who was engaged in espionage in China, [Minister] Qin stressed that the Chinese side will deal with him in accordance with the law," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Japanese foreign minister embarked on a two-day state visit to Beijing on Saturday to mark the 45th anniversary of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty. This is the first trip by a head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry to China since December 2019.

Japanese Kyodo news agency reported earlier in the day that Hayashi lodged a strong protest over China's detention of a senior employee of Japanese pharmaceutical firm Astellas Pharma in Beijing last week, and called for his quick release.