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FM: Annan's advice taken on board
By Jiang Zhuqing
Updated: 2005-04-19 23:59
China is "studying" a suggestion by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that
Chinese and Japanese leaders meet at the upcoming Asia-Africa summit in
Indonesia to resolve their differences, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang
yesterday.
China is sincere in its wish to develop relations with Japan, and hopes its
neighbour shares a similar desire, especially on historical and Taiwan issues,
said Qin.
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| Qin Gang gestures at a FM Press.
[newsphoto/file] | "The two sides should run in
the same direction, rather than in the opposite one," Qin said.
"They (China and Japan) have lots of relationships, on all fronts --
political, economic and social -- and I hope those important aspects of their
relationship will encourage them to resolve their differences," Annan was quoted
as saying by agencies.
Referring to a visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Machimura Nobutaka to
China, Qin said the two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations in a frank
manner.
Nobutaka said Japan's invasion of China brought great suffering to the
Chinese people and the Japanese side was deeply regretful and once again
expressed its deep remorse and apologies.
The Japanese foreign minister said Japan would draw profound lessons from
history and continue to adopt a path of peaceful development, according to Qin.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi yesterday shrugged off
Beijing's complaints about his visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which
honours Class A war criminals along with other war dead, Kyodo News reported on
its website.
"I do not think that is the case," Koizumi told reporters when asked for his
response to the complaints, adding that he does not believe his visits to the
shrine have hurt Japan's diplomatic interests.
"Each country has its own history, tradition and views," Koizumi said.
Speaking at a meeting on the current Sino-Japanese situation yesterday,
Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said that Japan should take "concrete actions" to
meet the commitment it made to face and meditate on its history of aggression.
He also encouraged the Chinese public to translate their patriotism into
enthusiasm for their work and studies.
Commenting on a report that a Japanese court had rejected the compensation
demands of Chinese victims of Japanese atrocities committed during the 1930s and
1940s, Qin said: "We hope the Japanese side will approach this issue in a
responsible manner and handle it appropriately."
The Tokyo High Court upheld a 1999 lower court ruling that international law
barred foreign citizens from seeking compensation from the Japanese Government
for wartime actions, reports said.
The 10 plaintiffs, including families of the victims, demanded compensation
for the death and suffering caused by wartime biological experiments, the
Nanjing Massacre and the fire bombing of Yong'an in Fujian Province, the reports
said.
India and Pakistan
As to the recent progress in India-Pakistan relations, Qin said China
welcomes the consensus reached by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on improving and developing ties.
Musharraf visited India from April 16 to 18 on his second such trip in four
years. The two Asian countries issued a joint statement, saying the peace
process had become almost "irreversible."
When questioned about the free trade talks between China and Australia, Qin
said China was ready to launch similar talks with other countries, adding that
China attached great importance to "equal" and "reciprocal" economic
co-operation with other countries and regions.
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