China to ease trade bans on Japan imports

Japan: Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said yesterday Beijing would ease some bans imposed on Japanese food imports after the March 11 quake and tsunami, as a three-way summit with South Korea got under way. The meetings came as Japan battled problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which has leaked radiation after disaster struck the northeast coast, culminating in the world’s worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl 25 years ago. The visiting leaders, Chinese Premier Wen and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, reaffirmed their support for Japan’s efforts to recover from the triple catastrophe.

Nuclear safety, cooperation in disaster preparedness, and food safety topped the agenda at the Tokyo summit, along with trade issues.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan also pledged to share information on the nuclear accident with the international community.

China and South Korea imposed bans on food products from prefectures near the stricken nuclear plant in the wake of the disaster.

Kan and Wen held a bilateral meeting ahead of the three-way summit, focusing on ways to boost tie-ups in disaster prevention, nuclear safety and Japan’s recovery following the disaster.

Wen told Kan that Beijing will lift trade bans on food imports from two of the 12 Japanese prefectures, on which China has imposed trade restrictions, while not requiring radiation inspections on products other than vegetables, seafood and milk products, a Japanese official said.

Wen also promised Kan that Beijing will encourage Chinese people to travel to the country by licensing Japanese tourist agencies in China.

Tokyo, Sunday, AFP