TOKYO (AP) - China is willing to host bilateral talks in Beijing between foreign ministers of China and Japan soon, the Chinese Embassy said Monday.

Diplomatic relations between Japan and China have been severely strained over visits by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to a controversial war shrine, disputes over exploration rights for undersea gas deposits and other territorial issues.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Tokyo that Beijing would agree to talks between the foreign ministers, Kyodo News agency reported.

His comments were confirmed by Chinese Embassy official Li Wenliang.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso met Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on the sidelines of a security conference in Malaysia last month. Aso has reportedly said he hopes to meet Li again soon.

China has refused to hold meetings with Koizumi, in part because of its outrage over his visits to the Yakusuni shrine, which honors World War II war criminals among Japan's war dead.

Media reports said last week that Chief Cabinet Shinzo Abe, the front-runner to be Japan's next prime minister, secretly went to the shrine in April. Abe has refused to confirm the reports.