China said on Tuesday it hoped that countries with issues about the name of a sea could resolve them through consultation.

"Sea of Japan" was widely used in the international community, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press conference, adding he believed authorities connected with the Olympics had consulted the usage of most countries when they used it.

The ROK said Monday it planned to complain to China over the use of the name "Sea of Japan" to refer to the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan in the map used in the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics instead of "East Sea".

China had noticed the different opinions of the Republic of Korea (ROK) over the name of "Sea of Japan" (which was called "East Sea" in the ROK), and hoped relevant countries could properly resolve the issue through consultation, Qin said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2008)