China is dissatisfied with and regrets the defiant words
recently made by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said in Beijing
Tuesday.
According to reports, Koizumi pledged in a TV program last
Friday that he would continue to visit the Yasukuni Shrine and said
it was ridiculous that he could not visit China because of his
visit to the Shrine.
Asked to comment on Koizumi's words, Zhang said that since the
Yasukuni Shrine honored war criminals whose hands were covered with
the blood of people of China and other Asian countries, China
firmly opposed visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders.
"A proper attitude toward history constituted the political
basis of Sino-Japanese relations and was an important condition for
Japan to be trusted by Asia and the international community," Zhang
said.
The Chinese government hoped the Japanese leaders would keep the
promise to reflect on history and avoid activities that would cause
offense in countries that were victims of Japan's wartime
aggression, Zhang said.
The Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Class-A war criminals from World
War II along with the 2.47 million Japanese dead in wars since the
mid-19th century.
Koizumi has visited the Shrine every year since he assumed
office as Japanese prime minister in 2001.?
Also on Tuesday, Zhang made clear China's positive attitudes
towards strengthening economic and trade cooperation and
establishing free trade area with the Cooperation Council for the
Arab States of the Gulf (GCC).
An important GCC delegation, consisting of?six ministers of
the GCC member states and GCC secretary-general, was on their
four-day visit to China started from Sunday at the invitation of
the Chinese government.
According to Zhang, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan held
talks with the delegation, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and the
visiting Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah jointly met the delegation in Beijing Tuesday.
Chinese Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing held political consultations Sunday with the GCC
Secretary-General Abdul-rahman Al-attiyah and exchanged views with
him on international issues of common concern. The other six
ministers of the GCC member states also made in-depth consultations
with relevant Chinese officials.
Zhang said the current visit of the GCC delegation will further
strengthen the bilateral exchanges and cooperation between China
and the GCC.
The GCC was founded in 1981 with six member states including
Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and
Qatar. The bilateral trade volume between China and the GCC reached
US$16.9 billion in 2003, and the six GCC member states have become
important trading partners of China in western Asia and in the
Asian and African region.
China and the GCC have enjoyed good relations in recent years,
Zhang said, adding that every Chinese foreign minister has
maintained contacts since 1990 with the foreign ministers of the
GCC member states and the GCC secretary-general through attending
the United Nations General Assembly every year.
China established political and economic consultation mechanism
with the GCC in 1996, and the two sides have held such
consultations for many times, Zhang said.
??
Turning to the upcoming visit by Dr Condoleezza Rice, US
National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush, from July 8
to 9, Zhang said Rice and Chinese officials are expected to discuss
a long list of topics related to the Sino-US relations and
international affairs of common concern. But she did not release
the specific subjects for the upcoming talks.
When asked whether the Taiwan issue would be placed on the
table, Zhang confirmed it would, adding the issue is at the core of
Sino-US relations and also a most delicate one.
"The smooth development of bilateral relations depends on
whether the issue can be handled properly," said Zhang.
"In other words, the US adherence to the one-China policy and
the three joint communiqués is the political basis for the healthy
development of the two sides' relationship," said Zhang.
She said China expects the United States to continue following
the one-China policy and the three Sino-US joint communiqués, and
to oppose Taiwan independence.
Zhang also announced that German Vice Chancellor and Foreign
Minister Joschka Fischer will pay an official visit to China from
July 14 to 16.
The Sino-African relationship was another highlight at Tuesday's
briefing. Zhang said a Chinese delegation headed by Vice Foreign
Minister Qiao Zonghuai is to participate in the African summit
between July 6 and 8 and State Councillor Chen Zhili will visit
three African countries from July 11 to 20.
Qiao will hand in a letter of congratulations from the Chinese
Premier Wen
Jiabao to the third summit of the African Union that will be
held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, according to Zhang.
She said the three African countries Chen will visit?are
the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Zimbabwe and the
United Republic of Tanzania.
And Chen will also attend the opening ceremony in South Africa
of the Voyage of Chinese Culture to Africa that will pass through
11 African countries, said Zhang.
(Sources including China Daily and Xinhua News Agency, July 7,
2004)