Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, renowned for his open criticism of China, concluded a three-day visit to Taiwan yesterday, prompting harsh criticism from China over remarks concerning Taiwan's statehood.
Ishihara's visit, which included a dinner engagement on Sunday with President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), had been expected to draw fire from Beijing.
Ishihara's "wanton reference to Taiwan as a `state' has again exposed his anti-China nature and ulterior motives of undermining China's reunification cause," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
His actions "have set a bad precedent" for contacts between Japan and Taiwan, Sun said. He said Japan should take immediate measures "to diffuse the damage done to Sino-Japanese relations resulting from Ishi-hara's remarks and prevent recurrence of further thoughtless comments."
The visit, meanwhile, appeared to leave officials in Tokyo nervous, wary of a possible backlash from Beijing.
A senior Japanese government official stressed yesterday that the country remained committed to its one-China policy.
"I noticed that Governor [Shintaro] Ishihara visited Taiwan," Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki told a news conference.
"Although I am not fully aware of remarks made by Governor Ishihara, our stance is that we understand and respect China's viewpoint that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China," Aoki said.
Asked about Japanese newspaper reports that quoted him as saying Taiwan is "a free country" upon his arrival Saturday, Ishihara told Japan's Fuji television: "President Lee Teng-hui has maintained Taiwan is a country."
"China says anything and everything, including Tibet, is its territory. The matter should be settled between the parties concerned," Ishihara said.
The governor has in the past referred to Lee as "a good friend" and "one of the politicians I most respect."
He is also the highest-ranking Japanese official to visit the island since Tokyo switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1972. Although the Japanese government is apparently unhappy about Ishihara's visit to Taiwan, there was no indication that it tried to stop him, said David Chou (周煦), a professor at Taipei's National Chengchi University.
"It should have been possible for the Japanese government to prevent him from coming ... even though he announced his plan to visit Taiwan on a short notice," Chou said.
"The case could be that the Japanese government felt it unnecessary to create a fiasco over this," he said, adding that Ishihara's visit is nothing special.
"Other countries without official relations with Taiwan have sent their Cabinet ministers here, and Ishihara is only a local-level official," Chou said.
Ishahara was invited to Taiwan at the request of President Lee, amid speculation in the local media that he was also planning to visit Japan before he steps down from office next year.
Concerning rumors that Ishi-hara might have discussed Lee's visit to Japan when they met in Taipei, Chou said the reality of such a trip while he remains in power is very slim.
"It will more probably be after Lee retires," he said. "But then it will be considered as only a private visit."
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