Chna and Japan have reached consensus on properly handling the
East China Sea issue, a joint press communique said in Tokyo on
Wednesday.
In the press communique issued after talks between visiting
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe,
the two sides said they are committed to efforts to make the East
China Sea a "sea of peace, cooperation and friendship."
The two sides will conduct joint development in accordance with
the principle of mutual benefit as a temporary arrangement pending
the completion of demarcation of sea borders, it said.
They will hold higher-level dialogues on the East China Sea
issue if need arises, the communique said.
The two sides also agreed to conduct joint development in a
"relatively wide area that is acceptable to both sides," it
said.
The two countries will accelerate the process of consultations
so that they could report to the two countries' leaders this fall
about specific plans for joint development, according to the
communique.
The communique also said Japan would introduce mobile processing
equipment to speed up work to dispose of abandoned chemical weapons
in China.
(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2007)
