BEIJING, April 18: China on Monday warned ties with Japan were at a 30-year low and reiterated it would not apologize for widespread protests, but Japan said it saw no need to change its policy despite a “very uncomfortable situation”.

As Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura held a second day of talks in Beijing, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei painted the relationship in sombre colours.

“There are serious difficulties between China and Japan at the moment. It is the most difficult time since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1972,” he told reporters, blaming Japan’s refusal to face its past record of aggression.

In contrast, Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima attempted to put a more positive spin on relations as he focused on economics at a press conference in the Chinese capital.

“I don’t know the reason why we have to change our policy vis-a-vis China. Economic relations between Japan and China are so good that the trade volume has already exceeded that of United States and Japan,” he said.

“We believe that this economic relationship can be expanded and strengthened if general circumstances remain good.”

He added, however, that Chinese protesters who damaged Japanese property had created a “very uncomfortable situation”.

Later on Monday Chinese State Councilor and former Chinese foreign minister Tang Jiaxuan told Machimura that Beijing was also unhappy with Tokyo’s policy on Taiwan, an apparent reference to the United States and Japan jointly describing Taiwan as a common security issue earlier this year.

“In recent years, the Japanese side has gone backward on the history issue and the Taiwan issue, and has lost the confidence of the Chinese people,” Tang was quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency as telling Machimura.

“As long as both sides can appropriately resolve the history issue and the Taiwan issue, then the political basis of Sino-Japanese relations will be solidified and Sino-Japanese relations can develop.”

Ties between East Asia’s two most powerful nations have rapidly approached a nadir after Japan approved a nationalist textbook that glossed over wartime atrocities.

They have been further ruffled by Japan’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may get a chance to patch up relations when he attends a regional meeting in Indonesia this week also attended by Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Mr Koizumi, who has requested a meeting with Hu, signalled on Monday he would not be taking a confrontational approach.

“It is better not to make it an exchange of accusations,” he said in Tokyo.

China has so far been non-committal on whether the meeting will take place.

After a third consecutive weekend of massive anti-Japanese demonstrations in major Chinese cities, both nations were insisting that the other side take concrete measures to move relations forward.—AFP