Japan may be making moves towards an alliance with Vietnam and Philippines to resist China's increasingly aggressive stance in territorial disputes, reports Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao.
Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has said that Tokyo is willing to engage in dialogue with Beijing with no conditions. Last week, Yu Zhengsheng, one of China's top leaders, responded to the remarks, telling a group of Japanese legislators from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that the dialogue would only be held after Japan recognizes China's sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyu islands (Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyutai to Taiwan) and when Abe stops visiting the controversial war-linked Yasukuni Shrine.
Media reports in Japan said Yu threw cold water with his words and reported that the country's government has decided to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam, while also conducting extensive talks with the Philippines, two countries which have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, Japan's foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, has said that territorial disputes between Beijng and Hanoi Sea are due to China's unilateral provocative maritime activities. China should state the basis of its actions to Vietnam and to the international community, the minister said.
Read the full story at Want China Times