China said on Tuesday it would seek to improve relations with Japan despite the appointment of hardliners to the new Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
“We have noted that Koizumi has reshuffled his Cabinet,” foreign ministry spokesperson Kong Quan said.
“On Sino-Japanese relations we have always advocated that… we should follow the spirit of using history as a mirror and look forward to the future so as to improve and develop our relations.
“Under no circumstances will we change this specific policy.”
By appointing a hardline Cabinet, Koizumi on Monday signalled that Japan is in no mood to compromise with China in the remaining year of his term which has been marked by rising bilateral tension.
Both new Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe are considered pro-United States hawks and both have regularly visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo where the remains of World War II criminals are memorialised.
Kong repeated Beijing’s “stauch opposition” to Japanese leaders visiting the shrine, saying they were a violation of Japan’s commitments to show remorse over its wartime atrocities that were made when relations were normalised in 1972.
“The visits to the Yasukuni Shrine are not a matter of dialogue, it is a question of whether the Japanese side can successfully honour its commitment to show remorse over history and tread on the path of peaceful development,” Kong said.
Relations between Japan and China have seriously deteriorated this year, with Beijing accusing Tokyo of not atoning for its 20th-century militarism and the two countries deadlocked in talks over sharing East China Sea gasfields.
Koizumi has visited the shrine five times while in office, each time enraging China and South Korea which were invaded by Japan and see Yasukuni as a symbol of militarism.
South Korean political parties and a government official expressed concern on Tuesday over the ministerial line-up.
“At present, Sino-Japanese relations face difficulties but the responsibility does not lie with the Chinese side,” Kong said.
“To overcome the difficulties and to bring Sino-Japanese relations back to the normal track of development, the Japanese side should show the political will to improve relations with concrete actions, not only in words.” – AFP