Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda discussed human rights issues and the recent case of blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guancheng in a bilateral summit with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday.

Japan’s Kyodo News reports that during the talks, Noda proposed that China cooperate with Japan through a human rights dialogue channel to better understand and pursue universal international values.

The two leaders also staged a war of nerves over the sovereignty of a group of islands in the East China Sea, which are known as “Diaoyu” in Chinese and “Senkaku” in Japanese.

The Chinese premier said that respecting the core interest of the other country is important. Kyodo News said Wen was suggesting through his remarks that the islands belong to China and Japan must respect China’s interest.

In response, the Japanese prime minister claimed sovereignty over the disputed islands, expressing displeasure about China’s maritime activities near them.