Japan fully responsible for difficulties in bilateral ties, FM spokesman says

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Thursday that if Japan sincerely wants to improve China-Japan relations, it should take concrete actions to uphold the political foundation of bilateral ties and create the necessary conditions for normal exchanges between the two countries.

Lin made the remarks when asked whether China hopes to resume people-to-people exchanges with Japan, as exchanges between the two countries have declined in recent months, since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made erroneous remarks related to Taiwan on Nov 7 last year.

China-Japan relations are currently facing serious difficulties, Lin said, adding that the root cause lies in Takaichi's erroneous Taiwan-related remarks.

"The responsibility rests entirely with the Japanese side," he said.

If Japan sincerely wants to improve China-Japan relations, it should abide by the four political documents between China and Japan and the commitments it has made, retract the erroneous remarks, and take concrete actions to uphold the political foundation of bilateral relations, Lin said.

He also urged Japan to create the necessary conditions for normal exchanges and interactions between China and Japan.