Russian Foreign Minister Urges 'Compromise' In Japan-China Dispute

A van carrying Zhan Qixiong, the captain of a Chinese fishing boat, leaves from Ishigaki police station on the southern Japanese island of Ishigaki on September 25.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on China and Japan to "seek compromises" as the two countries remain locked in their worst diplomatic row in years.

Japan today said it will ask China to pay for damage caused when a Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese coast-guard vessels near disputed islands earlier this month.

China has repeatedly requested that Japan apologize for the incident, which has strained relations between the two Asian powers.

Lavrov, who is traveling with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on a three-day visit to China, told reporters that the most important thing in resolving the dispute is that both countries "abide by international legal criteria."

On September 26, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan again rejected China's demand for an apology over the incident.

The captain of the Chinese boat arrived back in Beijing on September 25 after being detained for weeks in Japan.

compiled from agency reports