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China's Tang warns about reported Japan-U.S. contingency plan
2007-01-12
Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan has warned that a reported plan by Japan and the United States to draw up a joint operation scheme for their troops in the case of a contingency over Taiwan would neither benefit China nor Japan, a Japanese lawmaker said Friday. Kenji Kosaka, legislator of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters that Tang, a key figure in China's foreign policymaking, made the remark in a meeting on Thursday with a group of Japanese lawmakers including him. Japanese and U.S. government sources said earlier this month that the two countries' defense and foreign affairs officials will start studying in February various scenarios of contingencies across the Taiwan Strait. The scenarios to be studied include cases such as Taiwan declaring its independence or China exercising military force against the island, the sources said. Japan and the United States have a "one-China" policy recognizing Beijing as the sole government, but maintain unofficial ties with Taiwan. Washington is also legally committed to defending the island if attacked. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory, and has repeatedly threatened to use force if the self-ruled island formally declares statehood. Kosaka also quoted Tang as saying that 2006 was a year in which Japan and China were able to improve relations, and that the two countries face the opportunity to develop their ties further this year. Relations between the two countries deteriorated under former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, due mainly to a dispute over Koizumi's visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. China criticized the visits to Yasukuni, which enshrines Class-A war criminals from World War II along with Japan's war dead, saying they show Japan does not repent its past militarism. Bilateral ties have improved after Shinzo Abe took over the post and made a trip to China in October, only weeks after taking office.
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