Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao (
The meeting was to take place yesterday evening along the sidelines of a summit for Asian and African leaders in Jakarta, said Akira Chiba, a spokesman for Koizumi's delegation.
"The prime minister said they will talk about friendship and cooperation, which are the key to prosperity of the region," Chiba told reporters. "We were very eager to meet each other and we are happy that it's happening."
PHOTO: EPA
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan (
"The most important point is bilateral relations. That will be the main theme of the talks between the two leaders," Kong said.
"We attach emphasis on developing neighboring, friendly and cooperative relations with Japan," he said. "We hope leaders of the two countries can ... eliminate the negative impacts created by Japan's erroneous actions so that Sino-Japanese relations can move forward smoothly on a healthy foundation."
Relations between the two Asian powers plunged to a three-decade low, with massive anti-Japanese protests erupting in several Chinese cities in recent weeks over Tokyo's handling of its wartime atrocities in new junior high school textbooks and its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
APOLOGIES
At the start of the summit Friday, Koizumi apologized for his country's World War II aggression in an apparent bid to defuse tensions with China, expressing "deep remorse."
Although the statement broke no new ground, it was a clear attempt to reverse the worst erosion of ties between Tokyo and Beijing since diplomatic relations were established in 1972.
"In the past, Japan through its colonial rule and aggression caused tremendous damage and suffering for the people of many countries, particularly those of Asian nations," Koizumi said at the opening ceremony for the summit in Jakarta, conveying Tokyo's "heartfelt apology" for its conquests.
"Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility," he said.
Delegates at the Asian-African summit welcomed the talks between Hu and Koizumi, saying the rift between the economic powerhouses could impact regional stability.
"There is a need for China and Japan to keep on talking as any tension between them is not going to help the stability and political climate in our region," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters. Syed Hamid said Koizumi's apology should be followed up "by some action hopefully."
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he believed Koizumi's statement had been received well throughout the region.
"It has set the stage for [yesterday's] meeting. I hope it will also help facilitate the discussions and understanding that they both seek," Annan said. "These are two mature nations that have wise leaders and I hope that between them they will get relations back on track."
At least 12 million Chinese citizens died in Japan's assault on their nation in the 1930s and 1940s. Japan, an ally of Nazi Germany, conquered much of East Asia before its forces surrendered in August 1945, and memories of its brutal rule are still fresh in many countries.
NO chinese PROTESTS
In Beijing, there was no sign yesterday of new anti-Japanese protests after the government called on China's public to end unrest that might damage economic ties.
Three busloads of paramilitary troops guarded Japan's Embassy's fenced compound. Some of the anti-riot troops passed the time by doing jumping jacks and practicing martial arts in the street.
The government appealed Friday for calm, with state television quoting Commerce Minister Bo Xilai (
A spokesman for Chinese nationalist groups that helped to mobilize earlier protests said he knew of no plans for demonstrations this weekend.
"The Chinese people have already done a good job of letting Japan and the world know how we feel," said Lu Yunfei. "Everyone is now reviewing the effects of the marches and looking at where we go from here."
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
UNREST: The authorities in Turkey arrested 13 Turkish journalists in five days, deported a BBC correspondent and on Thursday arrested a reporter from Sweden Waving flags and chanting slogans, many hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators on Saturday rallied in Istanbul, Turkey, in defence of democracy after the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu which sparked Turkey’s worst street unrest in more than a decade. Under a cloudless blue sky, vast crowds gathered in Maltepe on the Asian side of Turkey’s biggest city on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr celebration which started yesterday, marking the end of Ramadan. Ozgur Ozel, chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which organized the rally, said there were 2.2 million people in the crowd, but
JOINT EFFORTS: The three countries have been strengthening an alliance and pressing efforts to bolster deterrence against Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea The US, Japan and the Philippines on Friday staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance. The Chinese frigate attempted to get closer to the waters, where the warships and aircraft from the three allied countries were undertaking maneuvers off the Scarborough Shoal — also known as Huangyan Island (黃岩島) and claimed by Taiwan and China — in an unsettling moment but it was warned by a Philippine frigate by radio and kept away. “There was a time when they attempted to maneuver
RSS