China 'highly concerned' over Japan's direction under Abe
Beijing said on Monday it was “highly concerned” over Japan’s future direction under the Shinzo Abe-led Liberal Democratic Party, which won the country’s parliamentary elections.
China said on Monday it was “highly concerned” over Japan’s future direction under the Shinzo Abe-led Liberal Democratic Party, which won the country’s parliamentary elections.
“We are highly concerned about which direction Japan will take,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing after the LDP ousted the Democratic Party of Japan from power in Sunday’s vote.
Hua, who reiterated China’s stance that East China Sea islands disputed between the countries are Chinese territory, also said that China is open to improved ties with Japan
“China is ready to work with Japan for further development of stable relations,” she said, adding that “the current task is now to properly handle the current issue” of the territorial dispute.
Earlier on Monday, Abe, set to become Japan’s new prime minister, said there can be no compromise on the sovereignty of the islands, calling them “Japan’s inherent territory”.
The election victory of Japan’s main conservative party, led by a minister known for his hardline China views, drew a muted response from Beijing but withering criticism from Chinese bloggers.