China Urges Japan to Be Back in Senkaku Joint Development

Beijing, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)--A senior Chinese government official has called on Japan to resume joint development of the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are at the center of Sino-Japanese tensions. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin made the call at a meeting with a group of Japanese lawmakers, including House of Councillors member Masaaki Taniai of New Komeito, the ally of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in the Chinese capital on Thursday. Liu said it is important for Japan to first recognize a territorial dispute with China over the islands, put aside the issue and return to joint development of the islands, according to the group. The two countries had agreed to promote joint development while shelving the territorial issue, Liu was quoted as saying. The Japanese government's official position is that there is no territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, while China claims sovereignty over the uninhabited islands, which it calls Diaoyu. The Japanese group also had meetings with Yang Yanyi, assistant minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, and Tang Jiaxuan, former Chinese state councilor and now chairman of the China-Japan Friendship Association. The group and Yang agreed to promote exchanges between political parties in the two countries and bilateral dialogue on issues of common interest such as the environment. The Chinese side expressed a willingness to send a mission to Japan biennially. END