China sticks to talks in land issues

Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo said on Jan 28 that China will stick to peaceful negotiations in the efforts to settle historical land boundary issues with neighboring countries.

He also said that China will properly manage disputes with relevant countries over the sovereignty of some islands and maritime rights and interests.

The remarks were made at the 21st Annual Meeting of Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum held in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok on Jan 28.

About 360 parliamentarians from 25 countries in the region, such as Russia, Japan and the Republic of Korea, as well as representatives from seven international organizations, attended the meeting.

During a speech at a plenary discussion about the region’s political and security issues, Wu said the Asia-Pacific region is peaceful on the whole, but hotspot issues and local conflicts keep flaring up from time to time.

"We must reject the Cold War mentality and the zero-sum game, respect each other’s sovereignty and core interests, and oppose hegemony and power politics in all manifestations,” said Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature.

Recently, China has been in escalating territorial spats with Japan and some Southeast-Asian countries, which have triggered worries that such disputes may threaten regional stability.

At the forum, Wu also called for stronger inter-parliamentary dialogue and exchanges and leveraging the constructive role of such exchanges in growing state-to-state relations.

"Legislatures represent the people and reflect their will, playing an important role in the political life of their respective countries,” Wu said.

"We need to urge our own national governments to pursue a foreign policy that is conducive to peaceful development and mutual benefit.”

zhuzhe@chinadaily.com.cn