Abe calls for a summit between ‘inseparable’ Japan and China
Japan's prime minister on Friday called for dialogue between Tokyo and Beijing over territorial disputes following on from his comparison of the situation to the first world war
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday that Japan and China are “inseparable” and urged Beijing to come to the table for “vital” summit talks as he sought to move on from much-criticised comparisons he drew with the first world war.
Abe told lawmakers he would not budge on the sovereignty of the Tokyo-administered islands that Beijing claims, but insisted the disagreement should not prevent a meeting between two closely-intertwined countries.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to realise summit meetings with China. But my door for dialogue is always open,” he told the opening of a parliamentary session.
“Instead of refusing to hold dialogue unless issues become resolved, we should hold talks because we have issues.”
“Japan and China are inseparable. I will continue to make efforts to improve relations, while calling [on China] to return to the principles of a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests.”
His comments came after he wrote a Lunar New Year message for Chinese language magazines published in Japan, in which he wrote it was “vital that dialogues are conducted between the two countries at variety of levels, including at the summit level”.