BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday urged Japan to walk the talk and take concrete actions to improve bilateral ties, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
It is reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is scheduled to visit Africa from Wednesday to attend a ministerial meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), where he will call for "navigation freedom" in the South China Sea.
"I have noticed the related reports," spokesperson Hua Chunying said, noting that TICAD should aim to support Africa's peace and development.
At present, the South China Sea situation is stabilized and improving thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, Hua said.
Hua urged Japan to respect the efforts regional countries had made to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
"We also hope Japan will play a constructive role in the South China Sea issue," Hua added.