ID :
125375
Tue, 06/01/2010 - 14:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/125375
The shortlink copeid
Japan, China agree to launch hot line to avert emergencies+
TOKYO, May 31 Kyodo -
Japan and China agreed Monday to aim for the launch of a hot line between their
leaders to discuss important issues in bilateral ties and avert emergencies in
the wake of China's recent activities around Japanese waters, a Japanese
official said.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama conveyed his concern to Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao over incidents such as Chinese navy choppers flying in close proximity
to Japanese destroyers in waters off Japan, and urged Beijing not to let
similar incidents occur again.
The two also agreed Japan and China will formally launch talks on signing a
treaty over gas exploration in the East China Sea. The two countries are
considering holding the first round of negotiations between director
general-level officials possibly in June, Japanese government sources said.
Hatoyama told reporters later in the day that Wen's proposal on the start of
official negotiations over gas field development indicates the Chinese leader's
willingness to make the East China Sea ''the sea of fraternity.''
In relation to the fatal sinking of a South Korean warship for which North
Korea has been found responsible, Hatoyama repeated Tokyo's position of
strongly supporting Seoul's move to bring the case to the U.N. Security Council
and insisted the North should be harshly criticized under international rules,
the official said.
Wen said there is a need to fully communicate with each other on the matter, he
added.
Hatoyama and Wen recognized difficulties in reopening at an early date
six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions following the
sunken ship incident, the official said. The multilateral framework brings
together the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.
The summit talks followed Sunday's trilateral meeting among the Japanese,
Chinese and South Korean leaders on the South Korean island of Jeju, where the
three leaders agreed to work closely to ease rising tension after the March
incident which was found to have been caused by a North Korean torpedo.
China stopped short of condemning North Korea over the incident during the
annual trilateral summit. Despite Pyongyang's claims of innocence, countries
such as Japan, South Korea and the United States are united against the
reclusive regime.
A strong commitment from China, which is a close ally of North Korea, is seen
as crucial for any international action against the North as it is one of the
Security Council's five veto-wielding members.
Japan and China discussed more than 10 years ago the launch of a hot line
between their leaders to avoid contingencies, but their efforts have since lost
momentum.
Hatoyama and Wen also reached a deal to soon establish a maritime crisis
management mechanism between their defense authorities following the recent
cases of marine friction, the official said.
The new accord on gas exploration in the East China Sea signifies major
progress since June 2008, when the two countries agreed to allow Japanese
companies to invest in a gas field already operated by China. The envisioned
treaty will reflect the details of the 2008 accord.
The dispute stems from the unsettled demarcation of the East China Sea where
the exclusive economic zones claimed by the two countries overlap.
The two leaders also reaffirmed their intention to further expand personnel and
cultural exchanges. Wen proposed that 1,000 young Japanese visit the World Expo
in Shanghai and agreed with Hatoyama that the two countries organize festivals
to introduce each nation's films, dramas and animation works, the official
said.
Wen later met with about 20 Japanese cultural figures at a Tokyo hotel and
lauded the Oscar-winning Japanese film ''Departures,'' saying it ''tells about
life and death and reflects human dignity and ethics.''
Chosen as the best foreign language film at last year's Academy Awards, the
film describes dignity in death in a solemn, mysterious and sometimes humorous
manner through the eyes of its protagonist, who makes his living preparing the
deceased for cremation in a rural Japanese community.
Wen also told a luncheon meeting hosted by the Japan Business Federation, the
nation's most influential business lobby, that China's economic development
will pose no threat to Japan as Beijing's growth is mutually beneficial for
Japan and China.
Following the bilateral summit, the two countries' ministers in charge signed a
new bilateral initiative aimed at ensuring food safety as well as accords on
deepening cooperation in the areas of energy-saving and environmental
conservation plus e-commerce.
The signing of the food safety initiative follows food-poisoning cases in Japan
involving tainted Chinese-made frozen dumplings in late 2007 and early 2008
that made a total of 10 people ill. In March, Beijing announced the arrest of a
suspect in relation to the incident.
Wen is the first Chinese leader to make an official visit to Japan since
President Hu Jintao in May 2008. The premier arrived in Japan on Sunday evening
for a three-day trip.
==Kyodo
Japan and China agreed Monday to aim for the launch of a hot line between their
leaders to discuss important issues in bilateral ties and avert emergencies in
the wake of China's recent activities around Japanese waters, a Japanese
official said.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama conveyed his concern to Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao over incidents such as Chinese navy choppers flying in close proximity
to Japanese destroyers in waters off Japan, and urged Beijing not to let
similar incidents occur again.
The two also agreed Japan and China will formally launch talks on signing a
treaty over gas exploration in the East China Sea. The two countries are
considering holding the first round of negotiations between director
general-level officials possibly in June, Japanese government sources said.
Hatoyama told reporters later in the day that Wen's proposal on the start of
official negotiations over gas field development indicates the Chinese leader's
willingness to make the East China Sea ''the sea of fraternity.''
In relation to the fatal sinking of a South Korean warship for which North
Korea has been found responsible, Hatoyama repeated Tokyo's position of
strongly supporting Seoul's move to bring the case to the U.N. Security Council
and insisted the North should be harshly criticized under international rules,
the official said.
Wen said there is a need to fully communicate with each other on the matter, he
added.
Hatoyama and Wen recognized difficulties in reopening at an early date
six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions following the
sunken ship incident, the official said. The multilateral framework brings
together the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.
The summit talks followed Sunday's trilateral meeting among the Japanese,
Chinese and South Korean leaders on the South Korean island of Jeju, where the
three leaders agreed to work closely to ease rising tension after the March
incident which was found to have been caused by a North Korean torpedo.
China stopped short of condemning North Korea over the incident during the
annual trilateral summit. Despite Pyongyang's claims of innocence, countries
such as Japan, South Korea and the United States are united against the
reclusive regime.
A strong commitment from China, which is a close ally of North Korea, is seen
as crucial for any international action against the North as it is one of the
Security Council's five veto-wielding members.
Japan and China discussed more than 10 years ago the launch of a hot line
between their leaders to avoid contingencies, but their efforts have since lost
momentum.
Hatoyama and Wen also reached a deal to soon establish a maritime crisis
management mechanism between their defense authorities following the recent
cases of marine friction, the official said.
The new accord on gas exploration in the East China Sea signifies major
progress since June 2008, when the two countries agreed to allow Japanese
companies to invest in a gas field already operated by China. The envisioned
treaty will reflect the details of the 2008 accord.
The dispute stems from the unsettled demarcation of the East China Sea where
the exclusive economic zones claimed by the two countries overlap.
The two leaders also reaffirmed their intention to further expand personnel and
cultural exchanges. Wen proposed that 1,000 young Japanese visit the World Expo
in Shanghai and agreed with Hatoyama that the two countries organize festivals
to introduce each nation's films, dramas and animation works, the official
said.
Wen later met with about 20 Japanese cultural figures at a Tokyo hotel and
lauded the Oscar-winning Japanese film ''Departures,'' saying it ''tells about
life and death and reflects human dignity and ethics.''
Chosen as the best foreign language film at last year's Academy Awards, the
film describes dignity in death in a solemn, mysterious and sometimes humorous
manner through the eyes of its protagonist, who makes his living preparing the
deceased for cremation in a rural Japanese community.
Wen also told a luncheon meeting hosted by the Japan Business Federation, the
nation's most influential business lobby, that China's economic development
will pose no threat to Japan as Beijing's growth is mutually beneficial for
Japan and China.
Following the bilateral summit, the two countries' ministers in charge signed a
new bilateral initiative aimed at ensuring food safety as well as accords on
deepening cooperation in the areas of energy-saving and environmental
conservation plus e-commerce.
The signing of the food safety initiative follows food-poisoning cases in Japan
involving tainted Chinese-made frozen dumplings in late 2007 and early 2008
that made a total of 10 people ill. In March, Beijing announced the arrest of a
suspect in relation to the incident.
Wen is the first Chinese leader to make an official visit to Japan since
President Hu Jintao in May 2008. The premier arrived in Japan on Sunday evening
for a three-day trip.
==Kyodo