China sees little use in talks with Japan

China has dismissed Japan’s request for talks as tensions over islands in the East China Sea show few signs of easing, Reuters reported. “If Japan wants to arrange a meeting to resolve problems, they should stop with the empty talk and doing stuff for show,” Chinese deputy foreign minister Li Baodong said ahead of a G20 summit next week. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is keen to improve ties and has called for dialogue with China, though he has rejected any conditions on talks. Relations have been strained for months because of a row over the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.