China invites Japan's Abe to visit at mutually convenient time

China confirmed the invitation to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a visit at a time convenient for both sides, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday.

"Diplomatic authorities of the two countries are maintaining communication on this issue," Lu said at a daily news briefing, calling on the two nations to "meet each other halfway" to facilitate a favorable environment for the visit. Lu made the remark in response to media reports that Abe plans to visit China as early as October.

China and Japan have been working to improve ties, with Premier Li Keqiang making an official visit to Japan in May, marking the first visit of a Chinese premier in eight years.

Also on Thursday, Lu reiterated Beijing's position on foreign airlines' references to Taiwan on their websites.

The Times of India quoted an airline spokesman as saying Air India, the national carrier, changed the name of Taiwan to Chinese Taipei on Wednesday on its website, following instructions from the government.

China commended the move, Lu said, adding that such a move shows respect for the objective fact that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of China.

He emphasized that foreign enterprises operating in China should respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, abide by Chinese laws and respect the Chinese people's national feelings.

On April 25, the Civil Aviation Administration of China demanded that 44 foreign airlines review their websites and apps to stop listing the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan as independent countries because such a practice violates Chinese laws and goes against the one-China policy.

There are still some foreign airlines that haven't finished the rectification. Beijing rejected a request from the United States to discuss how to describe Taiwan on the websites of US carriers last week, according to reports.

Xinhua contributed to this story.