Standing next to Panetta, China defense minister issues Japan stern warning over disputed islands

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, left, stands at attention during the national anthem next to China's Defense Minister Liang Guanglie at the Bayi Building in Beijing, China, Sept. 18, 2012. / AP

(AP) BEIJING — China's national defense minister warned Tuesday that Beijing reserves the right to take further action against Japan in the ongoing dispute over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

Standing next to U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Gen. Liang Guanglie said Japan should bear full responsibility for the dispute, which has triggered violent protests in China against the Japanese. Panetta has been pressing both Liang and defense leaders in Japan to find ways to resolve the problem peacefully and diplomatically.

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Liang, however, made it clear during a press conference that while China still would like to see a negotiated solution, he hopes the Japanese government "will undo its mistakes and come back to the right track of negotiations." Tensions over the string of islands, called the Senkakus in Japan and Diaoyu in China, spiked last week when the Japanese government said it was purchasing some of the islands from their private owner.

The island dispute has been a hot topic during Panetta's weeklong tour of the Asia-Pacific region. But his session with Liang also touched on a wide expanse of issues as the U.S. and China try to find a way to improve their military relationship.

U.S. relations with China have been rocky, especially over America's support of and arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. The U.S. also has been critical of China for its lack of transparency regarding its massive military buildup.

"I've long believed that the United States-China relationship requires a long-term perspective," Panetta said during the press conference after a lengthy meeting Tuesday morning with Liang. "It is measured less by major breakthroughs than by slow, steady progress over time to build a relationship and to work on activities in areas of mutual interest."

In a move to enhance the relationship, Panetta announced that the U.S. will invite China to send a ship to participate in a major military maritime exercise in 2014.

Both Panetta and Liang said they talked about how their two nations can improve communications and work toward developing a greater mutual trust.

Speaking through an interpreter, Liang said the U.S. and China must work to gain a better understanding of each other so they can gradually reduce the ongoing suspicions that have plagued the relationship.

Their meeting came just days after the U.S. forged an agreement to put a second missile-defense radar system in Japan, a move China is likely to view as another effort by the U.S. to broaden its military power in the Asia-Pacific region.

This is Panetta's first trip to China as defense chief, and it is expected to include several historic visits, including a meeting Wednesday with the country's leader-in-waiting, Xi Jinping, just days after the ruler reappeared in public after a two-week absence.

Panetta's stay in China was extended in recent days so he could visit Qingdao, a key naval base where he will see a Chinese submarine and frigate.

China and the U.S. also faced off over trade issues this week. China filed a World Trade Organization case Monday challenging U.S. anti-dumping measures on billions of dollars of kitchen appliances, paper and other goods, adding to worsening trade strains as global demand weakens.

Beijing's move came shortly before the Obama administration filed its own WTO case accusing China of improperly subsidizing exports of automobiles and auto parts.

[Karl8888]

@all4science
You are obviously the uninformed one. I would suspect you are either trapped behind China's firewall or simply uneducated in Asian affairs. Twenty Japanese Prime Ministers and two Empirors have apologized to both Korea, China, and the rest of Asia for Japan's actions during WWII. Search google for "list Of war apology statements Issued by Japan".

China refused money offered by Japan for war reparations, but Japan has given over 30,000,000,000 us dollars in development aid to China.

Also, the 15,000,000 Chinese killed in the War with Japan is a trajedy, but not as much so as the 20,000,000 starved by chairman Mao while he daily spent huge sums on prostitutes.

[GrandpaPihto]

How come then Israels are deprived of their right to defend themselves against Arabs who want to finish what they and NAZIs didn't during WW2? How come Serbs were deprived of the same right with regard to Bosnian and Croatian NAZIs?

[john92021]

The Japanese want US bases off their land, if it wasn't for these bases the Chinese would over run Japan. The power has definitely shifted to the Chinese after centuries of animosity.

[jefforsythe]

This is once again the filthy Chinese Propaganda Bureau at work. This is obviously a tactic being used by the gangster Chinese Communist Party to avert its people's hatred away from itself and towards Japan. It is a very old political ruse.
In the case of the CCP, it is much too late for the cruel CCP to save itself. It is not from any outside enemy that the Party will destruct, it will self destruct because it is rotten from the inside out. This is just my understanding, thank you.

[tsigili]

The Democrats have aligned themselves with dictators, and turned their backs on our allies.

[tvwatcher5345]

free tibet! free tibet! free tibet! free tibet! free tibet!

[Karl8888]

If China is confident in its claim of the islands, then take the dispute to an international court and provide evidence. Don't puppet the Chinese people into violent protests against ordinary citizens that have nothing to do with the dispute. And the United States government is such a hypocritical body it makes me sick. The US turned these islands over to Japan in the 70s, now there is a dispute with the worlds greatest Communist Power and the US is neutral in the matter. It seems the US fight for democracy has ended in exchange for Chinese CASH.

[all4science]

Karl8888; you obviously are ignorant of the bad blood between the countries. Compared with Germany, Japan has never apologized for their war crimes though they have recently (under pressure) paid some money to the Korean 'comfort girls,' and have contributed money to countries they ravaged, such as the Philippines and Malaysia, but without really admitting any guilt. They are, as a culture, in denial about the terrible crimes they committed against nations they controlled; even school history books have no mention of what really took place.....THAT explain why those issues over the islands can escalate into riots. In short, the Chinese by and large hate the Japanese. If you say China should take the dispute to international court and provide evidence, then Japan has to do likewise. It's not so easy to just simply wipe out years of torment that the Japanese people have cause during war time; they didn't simply kill; they tormented. Many babies were thrown into the air and swords pierced through their bellies, women were raped in the most horrific way, etc.....Iris Chang were so tormented after writing The Rape Of Nanking that she committed suicide. It;s easy to simply say "live and let live; let bygones be bygones" but unless you've ancestors or loved ones sharing with you the horror stories, you can;t just pretend about the past.

[beowulf20]

@ Karl8888

Do you know what also just as worse as Japan not admitting to certain atrocities? The Chinese Communist Party has committed just as worse or more on it's own citizens. Not a lot of people read about that certain history. I wonder what an ordinary citizen in China would say if their grandfather was executed by their own government or starved to death?