China urges Japan to mend strained ties: FM

China on Thursday urged Japanese leaders to correct mistakes with actions so as to create conditions for mending the strained relations, according to a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

"The current serious difficulties in China-Japan relations have resulted from Japanese leaders' extremely wrong actions on the Diaoyu Islands and history. The key is in Japan's hand," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Hua made the remarks when asked to comment on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's latest speech stressing the importance of Japan's relations with China.

Hua said she hasn't read the report.

She underscored China's commitment to developing mutually beneficial bilateral relations based on four China-Japan political documents, noting that will benefit people of the two countries and peaceful development in the region.

"We urge Japan to listen to the just voice, take practical actions to correct mistakes, and create conditions to restore bilateral relations," Hua said. She called on people with vision to make positive efforts to enhance mutual understanding between China and Japan.

China and Japan have seen few high-level political contacts since the Japanese government's "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands in September 2012, a move that contributed to the disintegration of bilateral relations.

Abe's visit late last year to the Yasukuni shrine, which honors WWII war criminals, erected another political obstacle to the strained relations.

The visit is the first by a serving Japanese prime minister since 2006.