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.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from