China on Thursday dismissed a Japanese official's comment that the country's economic boom will fuel nationalism as illogical.

 

"We are surprised and dissatisfied with the Japanese comment. The comment that China's economic development leads to nationalism is illogical and should not become a reason to criticize China," said a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

 

The statement came in response to the comment of Tomohiko Taniguchi, deputy press secretary of the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

 

"The more rapid the growth is, the more dangerous I think it is going to be for nationalism to play a role or change the course of the ...nation," Taniguchi was quoted by Associated Press as saying at a news conference in Hong Kong.

 

"I would call on the Beijing government to properly manage the equilibrium of the Chinese psyche because the Chinese people are experiencing the most rapid ... changes in their 2,000-year history," Taniguchi said.

 

The Chinese statement said China and Japan would do better to discuss enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

 

The two governments have worked to improve ties since last year when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid an ice-breaking China visit in October, which was followed by Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Japan in April this year.

 

"China would like to work more closely with Japan on various fields, particularly on youth exchange, so as to consolidate the social foundation for improvement and development of China-Japan ties," the statement said.

 

"We hope the Japanese side can move closer to the Chinese side and do more things which will improve public sentiment in the two countries, rather than the opposite," it said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2007)