China-Japan
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In an interview with Hong Kong's South China Morning Post in Tokyo on March 4 and which was posted on the Japan Foreign Ministry website on March 12, Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said "China's peaceful development is a great benefit and opportunity not only for Japan but the entire region and the international community," and that resolving issues would reduce the risk of an unintended escalation in territorial tensions in the East China Sea and pave the way for improved relations overall. He urged China to continue "our candid exchange of views" and hoped that discussions would lead to high-level political talks. Kishida's remarks coincided with the decision of China's version of a parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), to approve two 'national remembrance days' to commemorate the 'Nanking massacre' and Japan's defeat in the Second World War. The Chinese foreign ministry on March 13, agreed with Kishida's suggestion that Sino-Japanese disputes should be resolved through dialogue, adding that it had seen no support for such talks from Tokyo. China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang described China's position in the East China Sea and Diaoyu Islands as consistent and said "We think that both two sides should properly manage their disputes through dialogue and consultations. The Japanese government recently stirred up trouble over the Diaoyu Islands issue, and refuses to carry out real and sincere dialogue and negotiation with the Chinese side. That's why the two sides have disputes and differences on the Diaoyu Islands issue and issues in the East China Sea."
Last Monday, Japan announced that the three Chinese delegations representing young rural officials, journalists and middle-school students, which were originally scheduled to visit Japan in January, would resume their visits from later this month.
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