Taiwanese PM suggests three-way dialogue to resolve contentious Senkaku islands spat

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has said Taipei, Tokyo and Beijing should engage in a three-way dialogue on resource development on the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

In an interview on Thursday, Ying-jeou the three countries should shelve their sovereignty dispute over the Japan-controlled islets.

According to the Japan times, Ying-jeou said the East China Sea Peace Initiative is not designed for one single party or two, but for three.

He added that a peaceful resolution to the dispute will benefit all the three countries.

He said he would never attempt to start trilateral talks before "bilateral negotiations bear fruit," adding that trilateral talks are currently "unfeasible."

Ma said bilateral talks could serve as a basis for future trilateral talks on joint resource development.

According to the report, the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands are known as Tiaoyutai in Taiwan and Diaoyu in China, both of which claim the islets Japan put under its control in 1895.