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Japanese PM contradicts Beijing line on protests

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda bluntly told China on Friday that Tibetan unrest had become an international issue, contradicting Beijing’s official line, and hinted it could hit the Olympics.

Fukuda made the remarks to visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (楊潔箎), who is paving the way for President Hu Jintao’s (胡錦濤) much-anticipated trip to Japan next month.

“Prime Minister Fukuda stated that there was a need to face up to the reality that the matter has become an international issue and that it should not affect the Olympics,” a foreign ministry statement said.

“It is desired that the Chinese side does all it can to solve the matter,” it quoted Fukuda as saying.

INTERNAL MATTER

China has repeatedly countered criticism of its crackdown in the Himalayan region by saying its handling of protests last month was strictly an internal matter.

On Friday, a Japanese temple pulled out of a hosting ceremony for the flame during its visit to Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics.

The US declined to back its ally’s warning, but said it wants conditions in Tibet to improve.

“I don’t think we try to characterize it as a national issue or an international issue. I don’t think that’s the point of it,” White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. “The point of it is that there are lots of places in the world where we have an interest in the human rights of the citizens who live there, and we express our interest and our concern in all of those places.”

Yang, who had described Tibet as a “domestic issue” on Friday, reiterated Beijing’s position that the Dalai Lama was responsible for the deadly unrest.

'SPLITTIST ACTIVITIES'

“If the Dalai’s side stops splittist activities, violent activities and activities to sabotage the Olympics, the door for dialogue is open,” Yang told Fukuda.

Yang’s visit is mainly aimed at preparing for Hu’s trip scheduled for May 6 to May 10, the first in a decade by a Chinese head of state.

Fukuda, who took office in September, has sought friendly ties with China, which refused high-level contacts during the 2001 to 2006 premiership of Junichiro Koizumi because of his visits to a controversial war shrine.

Fukuda told Yang that “both sides need to make efforts to overcome various [bilateral] problems,” the statement said.

“China would like to build a framework with Japan through the visit [by Hu] so that the two countries will prosper in the long term,” Yang told reporters.
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