BEIJING: China on Tuesday said it was shocked by the latest comments from Tokyo in a simmering row over a group of disputed islands, as the two sides held informal talks in a bid to ease tensions.
The latest volley in the war of words between Asia’s top two economies came after three days of sporadically violent anti-Japan protests in several Chinese cities — the largest such demonstrations since 2005. Japan and China are trying to rebuild ties that were badly strained after Tokyo arrested a Chinese trawler captain near a disputed island chain in the East China Sea six weeks ago, sparking a barrage of protests from Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met Japan’s former upper house speaker Satsuki Eda, seen as a close associate of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, on Tuesday in Beijing for “friendly” talks, ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters. But those talks did not keep Ma from criticising Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who accused Beijing on Monday of “hysterical” behaviour. “We feel shocked that a foreign minister of a country should make such remarks,” Ma told reporters.
“To improve and develop China-Japan relations is in the fundamental interest of both countries,” Ma added. “But the seriousness of the remarks made recently by certain officials at the Japanese foreign ministry obviously runs in the opposite direction.” Maehara, known as a China hawk, on Monday was asked in parliament about a series of retaliatory steps Beijing has taken since the arrest of the fishing boat captain, who was later released.
China scrapped high-level talks and bilateral events. Industry sources say it also halted rare earth exports, crucial for high-tech goods, to Japan. “I think the countermeasures China has taken are extremely hysterical,” Maehara said, speaking after anti-Japanese protests in China at the weekend.Also on Monday, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe used a German Nazi-era term when he accused China of seeking “Lebensraum” with its growing assertiveness over disputed territories. Ma described those comments as absurd.
“China is not to be blamed… We hope Japan can make efforts to meet us halfway and exert joint efforts to improve bilateral relations,” the spokesman said. Japan’s Jiji Press news agency said the two sides had agreed on Tuesday that Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao should meet at upcoming regional summits in Vietnam and Japan, saying this “will be extremely important for both nations”.
One of the measures taken by China that has angered Japan the most is the reported placing of restrictions on crucial rare earth exports — used in high-tech products from flat-screen televisions to hybrid cars.
