China likely turned neutral on Japan-Russia territorial row by 1992

China had apparently ditched its pro-Tokyo position to take a neutral stance in a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over four Moscow-controlled islands off Hokkaido by 1992, according to Japanese diplomatic records declassified in December.In response to then Japanese Foreign Minister Michio Watanabe's request to confirm China's stance of supporting Japan on the "Northern Territories" issue, then Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin said, "It would be less difficult to settle the issue bilaterally," the Foreign Ministry records showed.The talks between Watanabe a…READ FULL ARTICLE