CHINA: China, Japan break ice as N.Korea casts shadow, Abe visit latest

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing on Sunday (October 8), seeking a thaw in relations chilled by wartime history and consultations on North Korea's nuclear threat. In his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, both sides expressed hopes of overcoming past animosities, soured by regular visits to a controversial war shrine by Shinzo Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, that had angered China and hampered progress on territorial, trade and energy disputes. Beijing had refused summits with Junichiro Koizumi, who stepped down last month, because of his repeated pilgrimages to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine to war dead, seen by critics as glorifying Japan's past militarism. But Chinese leaders struck a conciliatory tone and Abe expressed "deep remorse" for past Japanese actions as he broke with tradition in making his first trip abroad since taking office on Sept. 26 to China, rather than the United States. Chinese leaders agreed in principle to an invitation from Abe to visit Japan, China's foreign ministry said. State television also quoted Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao as saying China and Japan should keep up mutual visits by state leaders, suspended since 2001. Mending ties is key to addressing last week's threat by reclusive North Korea to conduct a nuclear test, an issue high on the agenda during Abe's two-day visit to Beijing, host to stalled six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. Abe said the possibility that North Korea would make good on its threat could not be ruled out, adding that if it did so the United Nations would discuss invoking Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which could lay the groundwork for military force. "Now, we can never tolerate nuclear test by North Korea, and in the summit meeting today, we saw eye to eye that both our countries cannot tolerate that, and this is, by itself, a strong message to North Korea. And also, as I mentioned earlier, North Korea should return, we would hope that China will exercise its influence so that North Korea returns to the six-parties-talks without any condition," Abe told reporters. China's Foreign Ministry hailed Abe's visit and said the two sides had issued a joint statement expressing deep concerns over North Korea's plans for a nuclear test. "New developments are happening on the Korean peninsula and this also has been an important focus for the two leaders during meetings. Both sides expressed deep concern over these new developments on the Korean peninsula including North Korea's nuclear test issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a news conference. "Both sides confirmed that they will work together, according to the Joint Statement, to push forward the resumption of six-party talks. By communication, consultation, and cooperation, both sides can realise the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and protect the peace and stability of East Asia," said Liu. Abe flies to South Korea on Monday (October 9) for talks with President Roh Moo-hyun that are expected to focus on North Korea.

ITN Source | October 9, 2006

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