The Foreign Ministry said yesterday that a visit by the Japanese
foreign minister had been postponed by China in response to
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni
Shrine in Tokyo.
Nobutaka Machimura was scheduled to arrive in
Beijing on Sunday for a two-day visit, but ministry spokesperson
Kong Quan told a regular press conference that "given the current
situation, it is not the proper time for such a visit and it is not
convenient for China to receive him."
Beijing has repeatedly called on Tokyo to do more
to atone for its war atrocities. It lodged a strong protest on
Monday immediately after Koizumi's visit to the shrine, where 14
WWII Class-A war criminals are honored along with other war
dead.
The visit, the fifth since Koizumi was elected
prime minister in 2001, prompted a furious protest from China, with
Kong calling it "a damage to the political foundation of
Sino-Japanese relations."
Despite the protest, nearly 200 Japanese lawmakers
paid their respects at the shrine yesterday, one day after
Koizumi's visit, including leaders of the ruling Liberal Democratic
Party and a handful of opposition lawmakers.
Kong said China strongly opposed Japanese leaders
paying tributes at the shrine "at anytime, in any form" and that
Koizumi must shoulder all responsibility for the serious damage
done to bilateral ties.
Media reports from Tokyo said that Japan would
continue to prepare for Machimura's trip to China.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, the top
Japanese government spokesperson, was quoted as saying the visit
was "still in the process of being coordinated."
Machimura's visit was intended to be a
fence-mending trip and it is reported that he had hoped to pave the
way for a meeting between Koizumi and President Hu
Jintao.
Top-level exchanges between the two countries have
stalled since Koizumi began paying annual visits to the shrine four
years ago.
Turning to US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's
visit, Kong said China hoped it would help increase mutual
understanding and trust.
Rumsfeld arrived in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon,
starting a three-day official goodwill visit at the invitation of
Defense Minister Cao
Gangchuan.
This is Rumsfeld's first visit since taking office
in January 2001 and the second visit by a US defense secretary
since 2000.
Kong said Chinese state and military leaders will
meet and hold talks with Rumsfeld during his stay to discuss
relations between them as well as their armed forces, and
international and regional issues of common concern.
Rumsfeld will also hold a seminar at the Party
School of the Communist Party of China and Academy of Military
Sciences.
Kong said China would join with the US in efforts
to ensure that Rumsfeld's visit would be successful, and push
forward the stable development of the ties between their armed
forces.
However, Kong said the Taiwan issue was at the core
of relations, and that China opposed all kinds of military
exchanges between the US and Taiwan.
The government was also firmly opposed to any form
of US-Taiwan military cooperation including US arms sales to
Taiwan, he said.
China has said on many occasions that proper
handling of relations with Taiwan by the US is the most important
basis for the healthy, stable and sustained development of Sino-US
relations.
The Chinese side valued the commitment made by US
President George W. Bush and other US leaders to stick to the
one-China policy, abiding by the three Sino-US joint communiqués
and opposing "Taiwan independence."
Kong also announced that China has sent its envoy
to Pyongyang for a three-day visit aimed at preparing for the next
round of six-party nuclear disarmament talks.
Li Bin, Chinese ambassador in charge of Korean
Peninsular affairs, would also visit the US and South Korea, two
other participants in the talks, later in the month, he said.
The main agenda of Li's visit was to hold talks
with officials responsible for the six-party talks to work out
joint approaches and prepare for the fifth round in early
November.
Kong said China and Russia would hold the second
round of Sino-Russian Strategic Security Talks this week.
Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov, as
guest of State Councilor Tang
Jiaxuan, will visit from October 19 to 21 for the talks, he
said.
Also according to Kong, Singapore's Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong will visit from October 24 to 30 at the invitation
of Premier Wen
Jiabao.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency October 19,
2005)