Chinese President in Japan on rare reconciliation visit
JAPAN: President Hu Jintao arrived in Japan yesterday for the
first visit here by a Chinese head of state in 10 years, as Asia's two
largest economies try to mend fences after decades of friction.
Just three years after relations hit rock bottom, Hu has said his
trip would herald a "warm spring" with Japan, which has become a top
commercial partner despite the lingering resentments of many Chinese for
its past aggression.
It is Hu's first trip abroad since unrest broke out in Tibet in
March. Pro-Tibet groups and other critics of Beijing have called for
demonstrations here, leading Japan to deploy thousands of police to
guard the Chinese leader.
The highway leading to Tokyo's Haneda airport was temporarily sealed
off as Hu landed on his special Air China plane. Japanese Foreign
Minister Masahiko Komura personally welcomed Hu, who smiled and waved as
more than 200 Chinese people chanted "Welcome! Welcome!" and offered him
bouquets of flowers.
"Japan and China are both important countries in Asia and the world,"
Hu said in a statement issued on arrival. "This will enhance friendship
and cooperation in both countries."
The visit is expected to be largely about symbolism, with Hu slated
to show his hand at ping-pong and tour historic temples. The two
countries failed to resolve a heated territorial dispute over gas fields
in time for the summit. The five-day visit will be Hu's longest trip to
a single foreign country since he took power in 2003 and only the second
ever by a Chinese head of state to Japan. In a sharp contrast to
previous summits between Japan and China, both sides have signalled that
emotionally charged rows over history will be left on the back burner.
"I sincerely hope the people of the two countries can maintain
friendship generation after generation and create a brighter future for
the Sino-Japan friendship," Hu said in a written message to a
Japanese-language magazine. Addressing a populist concern, Hu promised
to consider finding a replacement for the Tokyo zoo's beloved panda Ling
Ling, who died last week.
Hu has also insisted that Beijing was serious about its ongoing probe
of pesticide-laced Chinese-made dumplings, an issue that caused an
uproar earlier this year in Japan after 10 people were hospitalised. The
only other visit by a Chinese president to Tokyo, by Jiang Zemin in
1998, was overshadowed by feuding on whether Japan had adequately
apologised for invading China in the 1930s.
Tokyo, Tuesday, AFP |