In a statement likely to annoy some in Japan ahead of his visit planned for next spring, Chinese President Xi Jinping blamed the unpopularity of his country on Japanese bias and prejudice.
"The fact that Chinese people have a more favorable view of Japan shows that China is following the right path," said Xi, speaking in Beijing in response to a question from former Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi. "We are not spreading antagonism against Japan, instead we are encouraging people to visit Japan."
"As for the biased view of Japanese people toward China, yes, China needs to do some things but more importantly the responsibility is on the Japanese side. It needs to do more things to undo the prejudiced and biased views against China."