China dismissed Japan's apologies for its wartime past yesterday, but Tokyo sought to cool tempers over a snub to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
One Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo said the government would demand an explanation why Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi (
Japanese stocks fell for the second straight day yesterday amid concerns that the snub and the resumption of a war of words between Asia's two most economically powerful nations could affect bilateral trade worth about US$170 billion last year.
China originally said that Wu had cut short the trip because of pressing domestic business, but Chinese officials later made it clear it was a reaction to Koizumi's refusal to give up visits to the Yasukuni war shrine, which Beijing sees as a symbol of Tokyo's past militarism.
"Such annual calls at Yasukuni have put mutual visits of top government leaders between China and Japan on hold," the state-run China Daily newspaper said in an editorial.
Japan has apologized for wartime atrocities during its 1931 to 1945 occupation of parts of China. Koizumi himself made a public apology last month in a speech at an Asia-Africa summit in Indonesia.
But Koizumi makes a point of visiting Yasukuni, where Japan's 2.5 million war dead are honored.
Last week, while Wu was in the country, he said he would make an "appropriate decision" on when to go again. He also defended his visits to the shrine.
Japanese officials were clearly angered by Wu's sudden departure, but Japan's top government spokesman sought to cool tempers yesterday, saying he would no longer comment on the incident.
"Commenting further would not be constructive for Japan-China relations, so I will not comment," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told a news conference.
"It is our objective to remove the various problems that lie between Japan and China and to develop our relations," he said. "I think the same goes for China."
Koizumi struck the same note, telling reporters: "Our relations should emphasize friendship and look to the future."
However, Japan has asked China for an explanation for Wu's cancelation of her meeting with Koizumi, a Foreign Ministry official told reporters. The official did not elaborate.
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
RSS