Asia Pacific: U.S., U.N. warn on China, Japan

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U.S., U.N. warn on China, Japan
Friday, April 15, 2005 Posted: 2:43 AM EDT (0643 GMT)


UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for Beijing and Tokyo to calm their flare-up, even as plans are afoot for more anti-Japanese protests in China this weekend.

"I think the two countries, I hope, will maintain their contacts, and they have a whole series of contests -- commercial, financial, political, and all this," Annan said on Thursday.

"And I hope this issue will be handled in a manner that will not escalate. I rely on the wisdom of the two countries to find a way out."

Annan's call came as the United States warned its citizens in China to be on guard, saying protests planned this weekend could turn against all foreigners.

"The demonstrations are purportedly against Japanese interests, but could involve foreigners in general."

Ties between the Asian heavyweights have plumbed new depths after angry Chinese protested Tokyo's approval of history books they see as downplaying World War II aggression and atrocities.

The weekend protests, which seemed to have tacit state support, also targeted Japan's bid to a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Annan has said he wants to expand the Security Council to better reflect current global political realities, including better representation from the developing world.

But China, a permanent member already, is opposed to Japan getting a seat.

The U.N. chief has called for a decision to be made by September on how to reshape the council. Chinese officials have suggested that time frame is not possible.

In last weekend's protests, which took place in several Chinese cities, thousands of Chinese citizens called for a boycott of Japanese products, burned Japanese flags and shouted anti-Japanese slogans. The protests sparked concern and denunciation from Japan.

Another point of contention is Tokyo's decision to issue drilling rights in a disputed area of the East China Sea.

Japan on Wednesday said it would award deep-sea gas exploration rights in the disputed zone to private companies, a move Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang called a "serious provocation."

Both governments disagree on the boundary and both claim the gas deposits. China has already begun exploring the fields, in a move Tokyo says extends into its zone.

More protests planned Japanese foreign minister Nobutaka Machimura is expected to go to Beijing this weekend to discuss the fraying ties as organizers plan more protests.

The organizers are sending their messages over the Internet and mobile phone text messages, but Beijing has so far blacked out all coverage of the protests.

China has stood firm so far, with Premier Wen Jiabao telling reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday Japan must "face up to history squarely."

On Tuesday Japanese Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said he was concerned about the impact of the Chinese sentiment on Japanese companies, one day after Koizumi called the protests "regrettable" and urged the Chinese to protect the nation's citizens.

"Yes, I'm worried ... they're a country that's trying to become a market economy and we need them to take a proper response," Nakagawa told a news conference.

"It's a scary country."

Japan's leaders have so far apologized to China on no fewer than 17 occasions since the two nations restored diplomatic ties in 1972, according to The Economist Global Agenda.

Japan is now also widely regarded as a model nation -- a pacificist democracy that donates large sums of money to the United Nations and the World Bank.

But the textbook row has only exacerbated a deep-seated ill-will. Of 1,000 Chinese in major cities surveyed in a telephone poll by the independent Social Survey Institute of China, nearly all said the textbook move was an insult, with most saying it was "open provocation," Reuters reported.

The tensions can be traced back to Japan's military campaigns in the last century. Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, and occupied various parts of China until 1945.

In particular, Chinese say Tokyo plays down 1937's "Nanjing massacre." When that city fell to the Japanese Imperial Army, tens of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war were killed.

There is also much resentment of Japan's WWII practice of forcing women from China and other parts of Asia to become sex slaves for its soldiers.

Several appeals by those women for compensation have been rejected by Tokyo's high court.

CNN correspondent Tara Duffy contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/04/15/china.japan/index.html