Japanese PM says door to dialogue open despite Chinese ships still circling around Senkaku islands

Chinese vessels are still seen in territorial waters around the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, but the door to dialogue with Beijing is always open, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said.

Abe said Japan will make no concession on sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, but added his administration does not intend to escalate the issue.

He also emphasized the importance of ties between the world's second- and third-largest economies.

According to the Japan Times, the comments were made by Abe in a news conference in New York after attending the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

The standoff over the uninhabited islands intensified in September last year after Japan bought three of the five main islets from their private owner, a businessman from Saitama Prefecture.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the world body Friday that Beijing wants to resolve its territorial and maritime disputes through negotiations with the "countries directly involved," the report added.