China won’t hold talks with Japan at G20 over disputed islands

China sees no reason to conduct talks with Japan over their dispute about ownership of a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, "because of Japan's provocative words and moves," deputy foreign minister Li Baodong said yesterday.

Mr Li said Japan's call for high-level talks was not genuine but was grandstanding and that talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St Petersburg next week were unlikely.

“A bilateral meeting involving leaders is not only about taking photos and shaking hands, it offers an opportunity for leaders to work out a solution to problems,” he told a briefing ahead of the G20 summit. His remarks were carried by Xinhua news agency.

Relations between the two Asian giants have been strained for months largely because of the spat over the islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

The dispute over the uninhabited islands escalated last September after Japan’s government bought them from their private Japanese owners. There were violent anti-Japanese protests in China, and Beijing sent patrol ships to the area to assert its claim over the territory.

China was furious earlier this month when Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe sent an offering to a Yasukuni shrine, which honours Japan's war dead but also war criminals, while cabinet members made personal visits.

But Mr Abe has indicated he is keen to improve relations and has called for high-level dialogue with China, although he has rejected any conditions on talks and China has shown no inclination to want talks.