Chinese experts said in Beijing Monday that China and Japan should resolve their disputes and narrow their differences through dialogue and consultation.

Dialogue and consultation are part of the five-point proposal Chinese President Hu Jintao made on developing Sino-Japanese relations when he met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the sideline of the Asian-African summit in Jakarta.

Hu stressed that "differences between the two nations need to be resolved through dialogues and negotiations. The two governments should actively work together to prevent the relations from being hurt again."

Dialogue and consultation on an equal footing is one of the basic stands for China's foreign policy. It is also embodied in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the United Nations Charter, said Ma Junwei, a researcher with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, during an interview with Xinhua.

Ma said the history of Sino-Japanese relations proved that confrontation would be detrimental to bilateral ties and to the stability and development in Asia.

The spirit of dialogue and consultation was underlined in the three cornerstone political documents between China and Japan, namely the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, the Peace and Friendship Treaty and the Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration, said Ma, who mainly studies China-Japan relations.

The spirit of dialogue and consultation helped China and Japan normalize their diplomatic relations in 1972 and the ensuing development of bilateral ties, said Liu Jiangyong, a professor on international relations with the prestigious Tsinghua University.

Liu stressed that none of the issues between China and Japan should be resolved by the use or threat of force. He said there are good chances for the two nations to resolve the difficult issues through dialogue.

The two sides should start consultation and negotiation in a constructive and creative manner and in long-term perspectives on issues like the oil and gas exploration in the East China Sea as soon as possible, he said.

Liu said Japan's unilateral actions and breach of the principle of dialogue and consultation on an equal footing are mainly responsible for the recent difficulties in China-Japan relations.

The Japanese government began in April granting Japanese firms the right to conduct test drilling for potential gas and oil fields in disputed waters of the East China Sea which Japan unilaterally claimed as its own. China described the move as "a serious provocation."

Liu said China and Japan should pursue bilateral consultation and dialogue to resolve the current crisis.

Wu Jianmin, a senior Chinese diplomat, said dialogue and consultation are the key to resolving the thorny issues.

Wu, president of China Foreign Affairs University, quoted a Chinese saying that "while cooperation benefits both, confrontation will do good to none." He said the saying reflects the biggest wisdom in resolving conflicts and disputes between China and Japan.

"The future world is a world of coexistence," Wu said. "It is by no means abnormal that disagreement and disputes should arise between China and Japan. The two nations should earnestly conduct dialogue and consultation on the basis of the three joint political documents to help bilateral ties return to normal development."

(Xinhua News Agency May 3, 2005)