KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (CNA) -- The 39th Asia Pacific Roundtable (APR) concluded today, with Sino-Japanese relations emerging as one of the focal points. In an interview with CNA, Japanese scholar Ken Jimbo expressed concern over the continued deterioration of China-Japan relations since November last year, stating that there are still no signs of resumed dialogue. He also noted that many accusations made by China against Japan do not align with Japan's actual actions. He further pointed out that Taiwan has undoubtedly become an important issue in bilateral relations between China and Japan. However, instead of repeatedly focusing on Taiwan itself, its strategic value to Japan and the United States should be demonstrated through closer economic and trade exchanges, as well as cooperation in investment and supply chains. Ken Jimbo, a professor at Keio University's Faculty of Policy Management and chairman of the Asia Pacific Initiative (API), was interviewed by CNA yesterday after attending the first session, "Disordered World Order," to discuss the recent sustained tensions in Sino-Japanese relations and Taiwan's role. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks last November regarding "a Taiwan contingency" drew strong dissatisfaction from Beijing. In May of this year, Japan and the Philippines announced the launch of negotiations to demarcate their exclusive economic zones in the East China Sea, which again provoked a strong reaction from Beijing. Jimbo explained that from a technical standpoint, this is related to Prime Minister Takaichi's statement on "existential crisis situations." "Existential crisis situations" is a specific term in Japan's security and legal framework, referring to a legal concept that allows Japan to exercise relevant security measures in crisis situations. He pointed out that because this concept could apply to an emergency situation in the Taiwan Strait, it triggered a strong backlash from China. China believes this action violates it