Japan called on China to adhere to it, saying it was binding but Beijing warned Japan not to interfere. It also said Kishida told Cheng that the environment surrounding Sino-Japanese ties was deteriorating markedly. The flurry of Chinese incursions into the waters follows a period of sustained pressure on China about its activities in the South China Sea. Japan has warned China that ties are “deteriorating markedly” over disputed East China Sea islets, as China’s envoy in Tokyo reiterated Beijing’s stance that the specks of land were its territory and called for talks to resolve the row. Ties between China and Japan, the world’s second and third largest economies, have been plagued by the territorial row, the legacy of Japan’s wartime occupation of parts of China and regional rivalry.

Source: The Guardian August 09, 2016 08:35 UTC