China to Push Chair Statement Opposing Contaminated Water Discharge at ASEAN Meeting

China is reported to have proposed expressing opposition to Japan's discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean in the chairman's statement at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, scheduled to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the 14th.

According to Japanese local media on the day, China is said to have made this proposal to all ARF member countries during a working-level consultation held prior to the meeting. China also reportedly requested that the chairman's statement avoid using the term "treated water," which is used by Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Instead, China uses the term "nuclear contaminated water."

In response to China's move, Japan cited IAEA reports to counter the claim. As China and Japan show signs of confrontation over the contaminated water discharge issue within international organizations, attention is also focused on the response of Indonesia, the chair country.

The ARF is an organization composed of 27 countries, including the 10 ASEAN countries, South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, and Russia, and holds a foreign ministers' meeting once a year on the topic of Asia-Pacific security.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.