Xi Jinping tells Abe about Beijing's stand on bilateral relations

China has expressed a desire to continue to develop China-Japan relations on the basis of the existing bilateral political documents. This was stated by President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China in a brief conversation with Japan's Premier Shinzo Abe during the G20 summit in St Petersburg on Thursday. When setting out Beijing's "principled position", the Xinhua news agency reports on Friday, Xi said China-Japan relations "are faced with difficulties which cloud them and which China "would not like to see". Xinhua quotes the Chinese leader as saying that "Japan should correctly approach such sensitive issues as the Diaoyudao islands". Xi jinping called on Shinzo Abe not to evade historical facts and look into the future "so as to duly cope with difficulties and settle problems". Relations between the two Asian countries grew complicated owing to the issue concerning the affiliation of the Diaoyudao (Senkaku) islands in the East China Sea. Beijing insists on its sovereignty over the territories which have been under Tokyo's control since the end of the 19th century.