Japan official says ties with China 'better than ever' |
|
|
Published
:
Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:42
|
HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Japan's relationship with China is 'better than ever' and both countries are working to ensure ties remain stable, a Japanese official said here.'The Sino-Japanese relationship has never been better than it is for many years,' Tomohiko Taniguchi, deputy press secretary of Japan's foreign ministry, said.'We are optimistic that the bilateral relationship is going to be stabilized at least for the time being,' said Taniguchi, who is visiting Hong Kong for a regional cultural forum.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is facing tough elections on Sunday, has cited repairing relations with China as a key achievement of his 10-month tenure.Abe's predecessor Junichiro Koizumi had enraged China and South Korea during his five-year tenure by paying an annual visit to the Yasukuni shrine, which honors 2.5 mln war dead including 14 top war criminals.Some Asian nations regard the Shinto memorial as a symbol of Japan's past aggression.Abe has maintained a strategic silence on whether he will visit the shrine, of which he was a strong supporter in the past.Japan and China, Asia's two largest economies, have also been at loggerheads on a range of other issues, including disputed energy resources in the East China Sea.afp/net-xfnntCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
|
|
|
|
Print this Story
Malaysia receives less than 30 mln usd investments from China - report 