Despite moves to ease the tensions between China and Japan, the meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Beijing on Saturday, April 30, was described by media as hostile.
In an article published by www.breitbart.com, Li was quoted as saying that China is willing to work with Japan in the spirit of "taking history as a mirror" to look into the future and reinforce mutual trust and put bilateral relations back into track.
China's Foreign Ministry presented four demands, which it said would help improve the relationship between the two countries.
First, it asked Japan to honor its commitment to the four political documents and recognize the one-China policy. The four documents mentioned included the China-Japan Joint Statement signed in 1972, the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1978, the China-Japan Joint Declaration of 1998, and the joint statement to promote strategic and mutually beneficial relations, which was signed in 2008.
China still resents Japan's invasion of China during World War II, in which Chinese girls were used as "comfort women," and the Nanjing massacre that occurred on Dec. 13, 1937.
The Chinese also criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo to honor their dead soldiers, which include the 14 former leaders responsible for the attack on China.
China also wanted Japan to recognize Taiwan as part of China, not as an independent nation.
Second, the ministry said that China wants Japan to act as a cooperative partner and take a more positive outlook on China's growth, instead of spreading theories about threats or economic recession. China also asked Japan not to complain about the country's military buildup.
The third demand, which deals with economic exchange, has called on Japan to do away with the outdated concept for a win-win cooperation as it urged for a fair and realistic cooperation in various fields based on shared benefits.
China may also declare another economic war should Japan decide not to follow what it was told, the report said.
The country launched an economic war on Japan in 2012, cancelling its shipments of rare earth minerals which were needed for the manufacture of electronic products in Japan. A Panasonic factory and Toyota dealership in China were set on fire by protesters, while several Japanese department stores and supermarkets were ransacked and looted.
Lastly, the ministry urged the two countries to respect each other's interests and concerns and maintain regular communication and coordination. It also called on Japan to set aside its mentality of confrontation and work for regional stability, peace and prosperity with China.
The ministry echoed the country's message: "We want stability and peace. If you do exactly as you're ordered, then we'll have stability and peace. But if you don't do as you're ordered, then we'll kill you, and get stability and peace that way."