NAN-F-25
Ties
Beijing, Aug. 22, 2017 (Xinhua/NAN)China on Tuesday urged Japan to walk the talk and take concrete actions to improve bilateral ties, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
It is reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is scheduled to visit Africa from Wednesday to attend a ministerial meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), where he will call for “navigation freedom” in the South China Sea.
“I have noticed the related reports,” spokesperson Hua Chunying said, noting that TICAD should aim to support Africa’s peace and development.
Hua said, at present, the South China Sea situation is stabilized and improving thanks to the joint efforts of China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Hua urged Japan to respect the efforts regional countries had made to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
“We also hope Japan will play a constructive role in the South China Sea issue,” Hua added.
NAN reports that according to Chinese government, the relationship between China and Japan has been strained at times by Japan’s refusal to acknowledge its wartime past to the satisfaction of China.
However, according to Japanese government, the expansion of the People’s Liberation Army and its assertive actions have been damaging the bilateral relation.
Revisionist comments made by prominent Japanese officials and some Japene history texbooks regarding the 1937 Nanking Massacre have been a focus of particular controversy.
Sino-Japanese relations warmed considerably after Shinzo Abe became the Prime Minister of Japan in September 2006, and a joint historical study conducted by China and Japan released a report in 2010 which pointed toward a new consensus on the issue of World War II-era atrocities. (Xinhua/NAN)
OYE/SH
========
Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Sadiya Hamza