China criticises Japanese leader's shrine visit, no verification on Abe's visit to China

China on Saturday criticizes Japanese leader's repeated visit to the Yasukuni Shrine and gives no verification on Shinzo Abe's visit to China in October if he becomes Japan's new Prime Minister.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement that the Japanese leader's obstinate persistence in visiting the Yasukuni Shrine is the crux which handicaps the China-Japan relations and the normal exchanges between the leaders of the two countries.

The statement came in the wake of some reports saying the diplomatic authorities of China and Japan are now working on preparations for a visit by Shinzo Abe to China in October if he becomes Japan's new prime minister.

In the statement, Qin said China has always attached great importance to developing friendly relations with Japan but didn't say anything to verify Abe's visit.

Qin said the key to solving the present difficulties is that the Japanese leader makes an early resolution on thoroughly clearing up the political barrier of the shrine visits and bring the bilateral relations back to normal track for development.

Abe, the current chief cabinet secretary of Japan, formally declared on September 1 his candidacy for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election.

The election is to be held on September 20. The winner of the election will naturally succeed Junichiro Koizumi because the ruling bloc, made up of the LDP and its coalition partner New Komeito party, holds a majority in the lower house and controls the final say in selecting the prime minister.

A report by the Associated Press said vice foreign ministers of China and Japan are scheduled to meet late next week, just after Japan's Liberal Democratic Party holds an election for party chief, adding that Japanese media have reported in recent days that preparations are under way for an Abe trip.

Abe is known for his hawkish political position, including his embracing of the idea of the shrine visits. He has defended Koizumi's pilgrimages to the shrine and refused to say whether or not he would visit the shrine if he becomes the new prime minister.

Democratic Representative Tom Lantos, a U.S.lawmaker said in a hearing on Thursday that Japan's future prime minister should stop paying official respect to the Yasukuni Shrine, "Japan's failure to deal honestly with its past does great disservice to the nation of Japan, offends the other key players in Northeast Asia and undermines America's own national security interests by exacerbating regional tensions."

Current Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, most recently on August 15, the anniversary of his country's World War II surrender, have strained its relations with the Asian neighbors, which suffered Japan's militaristic atrocities during WWII, such as the Republic of Korea, China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Koizumi has visited the controversial shrine every year since he took office in 2001. His practice has been widely criticized for not respecting history and hurting the feelings and emotions of the peoples from the neighboring countries that Japan have invaded during WWII.

The shrine visits by Koizumi have become a sticking point in China-Japan relations and made China withhold summit meetings with the Japanese side.

While Abe is trying to take an ambiguous attitude towards the shrine visit, "China's stance is clear and firm", Qin emphasized in the statement.

Source: Xinhua