China urges Japan to accelerate process of destroying abandoned chemical weapons

China's Foreign Ministry Tuesday urged Japan to take more measures to accelerate the process of destroying the chemical weapons left over by the Japanese invading army during the World War II.

Japanese government officials confirmed Monday that a poison gas accident in Guangzhou in south China last week was caused by chemical weapons abandoned by the Japanese invading army at the end of World War II.

But Japanese media also quoted a Japanese Foreign Ministry official as blaming that China was slow in response while Japan was willing to speed up chemical weapon disposing process.

"We've noticed relevant reports. China has lodged representations to the Japanese side and asked for clarification," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

He said the Chinese government always attaches great importance to the issue and has worked vigorously to accelerate the process.

"It is the Japanese side that should take more measures to push forward the process of destroying the chemical weapons," Liu said.

The Japanese army developed and used chemical weapons on a large scale during in its war of aggression against China during World War II.

Before their surrender, the Japanese invading army buried or abandoned chemical weapons in China in a bid to conceal their crime.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, part of the abandoned chemical weapons were found in central, east and north China, especially in the northeast, injuring many Chinese people.

"Abandoning chemical weapons in China constituted a serious crime committed by the Japanese army during its aggression against China," Liu said, and the weapons are still realistic threats to the life and property of the Chinese people and the environmental security in areas concerned around China.

The Guangzhou incident, which injured three local residents, is the latest proof, the spokesman added.

Liu urged the Japanese government to strictly follow the Convention on the Banning of Chemical Weapons and the memorandum on the destruction of chemical weapons reached between the two governments.

The Japanese government should earnestly shoulder the responsibilities and destroy the abandoned chemical weapons as soon as possible, he said.

Source: Xinhua