Japan talks proposal rejected by China
Print Edition
JAPAN’S top government spokesman said yesterday that the Asian regional summit scheduled to be held in Beijing in November would be a good opportunity for the leaders of Japan and China to hold their first talks ever amid sour relations.
China, however, rejected the idea.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting would provide a “natural” environment for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet on the sidelines.
China will be hosting this year’s annual meeting for the 21-member group.
“APEC is where world leaders gather, and I believe it would be quite appropriate (for Abe and Xi) to hold talks on the sidelines, as other members of international society do,” Suga said.
In Beijing, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry dismissed the idea and questioned Tokyo’s sincerity.
“China-Japan relations are facing severe difficulties,” Qin Gang said, repeating China’s objections to Abe’s visit to the war shrine and the island disputes.
If Japan “does not correct its attitude or take concrete actions, the relationship between China and Japan will not recover,” Qin said.
Relations between the two countries have been tense over island disputes in the East China Sea.
Tensions over the bitter memories of Japan’s invasion of China have also weighed on relations.
Ties between the neighbors turned cooler late last year when Abe visited a controversial Tokyo war shrine, where top Japanese war criminals are honored.
The visit was the first by a serving Japanese prime minister since 2006. It was seen by China as a sign of Tokyo’s lack of remorse for its wartime atrocities.
Qin said Abe’s move deeply hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and undermined the basis of China-Japan relations.
Last week, China lashed out at Japan’s move to loosen the bonds on its powerful military, casting it as a threat to Asian security.
Despite a major trading relationship between the two nations, Abe and Xi have not held talks since they both came to power in the past 18 months.
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