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Reconcile with Tokyo, departing US envoy Gary Locke urges Beijing

Gary Locke said Washington was very concerned about the tensions between China and Japan over territorial rows in the East China Sea. Japan has drawn comparisons between the recent disputes and geopolitical conditions before the second world war.

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Gary Locke pictured at his final press conference. Photo: Reuters

The outgoing US ambassador to China called on Beijing and Tokyo to seek reconciliation over their worsening territorial disputes and end bitter exchanges about their wartime past.

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Gary Locke's comments came during his final press conference as the US top envoy to China yesterday, ending a 2-1/2-year tenure.

Locke said Washington was very concerned about the tensions between China and Japan over territorial rows in the East China Sea. Japan has drawn comparisons between the recent disputes and geopolitical conditions before the second world war.

Locke said China and Japan should avoid provocations that would raise tensions and that reconciliation between the two nations was crucial.

We have had conflict with China in the past, but now we are strong partners
Gary Locke, US ambassador to China

The two countries could learn from how the alliance between the United States and Japan was formed after reconciliation between Washington and Tokyo in the aftermath of the second world war, he said. "We have had conflict with China in the past, for instance during the Korean war, but now we are also strong partners," he said. "We hope the same can happen between China and Japan."

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