Japan told to avoid interfering in dispute

Premier Li Keqiang told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday that Japan should "be cautious in words and actions" and should not "hype and interfere in the South China Sea issue".

The meeting took place at Japan's request on the sidelines of the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting summit, which is being held on Friday and Saturday in Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital.

Observers noted that Li made the comments after Tokyo publicly pressed Beijing to accept Tuesday's ruling in an arbitration case on the South China Sea dispute that was unilaterally initiated by the Philippines.

Li told Abe that the two sides should properly manage and control differences, and he said Japan is not a country directly involved in the South China Sea dispute, according to a news release by the Chinese side after the meeting.

Abe said that although difficulties still cloud China-Japan ties, Tokyo hopes to reinforce exchanges and cooperation and properly manage differences, the release said.

Li said China's stance on the South China Sea conforms with international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

The declaration, signed in 2002 by China and all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, calls for peaceful resolution of disputes through consultation and negotiation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Friday that Japan "has reacted with greater excitement" to the arbitration case than other countries in the region.

Tokyo knows clearly its "inglorious past in the South China Sea", Lu said, referring to World War II, when Japan illegally seized China's islands and reefs there.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said Tokyo has stirred the South China Sea issue as it seeks alignment with ASEAN member states to antagonize China and boost its military presence in the South China Sea.

Yang Bojiang, deputy director of the Institute of Japan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said one of the problems threatening the long-term development of Sino-Japanese ties is Japan's involvement in the South China Sea issue.

"If Japan's interfering actions cross China's bottom line, the country will certainly take powerful countermeasures," Yang said.

Contact the writers at zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn