China Snubs Japan
May 25, 2005 | Leave a Comment
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting Monday with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, citing urgent business at home.
The highly unusual move concerning diplomatic protocol triggered speculation that Beijing was expressing discontent over Koizumi’s repeated visits to war-related Yasukuni Shrine.
(But) there’s no need to meet someone who doesn’t want to do so,” a visibly irked Koizumi told reporters Monday.
Asked whether Wu’s early departure could be linked to his recent hint of plans to continue visiting the controversial shrine, Koizumi replied: “In don’t know. I have tried up until now so that there will be no bad impact (on bilateral relations with China). I have said that I will meet at any time.”
Shinzo Abe, acting secretary-general of Koizumi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, stated bluntly: “Many people may think it is somewhat rude.”
Government officials sought to downplay what many might interpret as a snub.
The ministry was informed around 9 a.m. Monday of the change in Wu’s schedule. Officials admitted they were taken by surprise and initially wondered whether the Yasukuni issue had anything to do with it.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda also sought to minimize speculation about a link to Koizumi’s shrine visits.
“Due to instructions from the home country, Vice Premier Wu Yi must return to China this afternoon to attend to emergency public duties,” Hosoda said at a news conference, quoting Chinese officials.
“No judgment should be made on preconceived notions,” Hosoda said. “At this time, we do not fully understand the circumstances.”
Wu left from Haneda Airport on Monday afternoon. But instead of returning directly to Beijing, her aircraft landed in Dalian, Liaoning province. She was to travel to Mongolia today-her original schedule following the end of her Japan visit.
The planned meeting with Koizumi was widely viewed as a step toward resuming reciprocal visits between the leaders of the two countries.
Before leaving Japan, Wu attended a luncheon hosted by Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), where she said in a speech, “The Chinese government and the people place importance on China-Japan relations and wish for a peaceful co-existence with Japan, friendship stretching to our future generations, cooperation and joint development.”
She did not make any reference to her canceled meeting with Koizumi.
Some officials believe the Yasukuni issue is not the reason for Wu’s change of plans since she told Japanese officials before her departure of her gratitude for Tokyo’s hospitality.
Wu arrived in Japan on May 17 to attend China national day festivities at the Aichi World Expo and other functions. Her itinerary included a meeting around 4 p.m. Monday with Koizumi and talks with Katsuya Okada, leader of opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan).
She was originally scheduled to leave Japan today.
Whatever her reasons for leaving abruptly, the cancellation of the Koizumi meeting will only add to the list of thorny issues that have emerged recently between Tokyo and Beijing.
Still, Hosoda pointed to comments on Sunday by Chinese President Hu Jintao to play down concerns that political reasons were behind China’s last-minute decision to cancel Wu’s meeting with Koizumi.
In his talks in Beijing with the visiting secretaries-general of the ruling coalition, Hu thanked the Japanese politicians for the warm reception Wu was receiving during her trip to Japan.
But at the same time, Hu also criticized Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni, which honors Class-A war criminals in addition to the war dead, as well as government-approved history textbooks that Beijing says distort Japan’s military past.
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