Xi meets Abe, urges Japan to honor words

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the ongoing Group of 20 (G20) summit on July 8, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

HAMBURG, Germany -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Saturday that Japan shall honor its words on issues related to history and Taiwan, and remove the distractions in bilateral relations with strategies and concrete actions.

While meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the ongoing Group of 20 (G20) summit, Xi also urged Japan to learn from history so as to have a better future of its relations with China.

Noting that the China-Japan ties have been distracted by complicated factors despite some positive exchanges between the two sides, the Chinese leader said there is no room for compromise on the issues related to history and Taiwan, and Japan shall honor its words in these respects.

Bilateral trust have been marred from time to time over Tokyo's reluctance on admitting its past war crimes, the attempt to annex China's Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets in the East China Sea, and the initiative to abolish its post-war pacifist constitution that forbids the deployment of troops overseas for fight.

Tokyo was also a vigorous advocate of the so-called "China threat," frequently participating in military drills in Asia-Pacific with the United States, and selling weapons to the former Philippine administration when the Manila-manipulated South China Sea farce peaked to a failed arbitration last year.