China and South Korea criticize visits to shrine

Beijing and Seoul urged Tokyo on Monday to face up to its history of aggression, and objected to a ritual offering made by the Japanese prime minister to a controversial shrine which honors Japanese war criminals from World War II.

Calling it a "negative act", Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news conference that China has made solemn representations to Japan.

In protest, South Korea on Monday also shelved a proposed trip by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se to Tokyo.

China-US shared interests emphasized