Wen: Koizumi won't own up to history
(chinadaily.com.cn/China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-13 06:08

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi won't own up to his country's history of violence in Asia, making him the main cause of a rift in relations with China, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday at a regional meeting in Malaysia.

Wen canceled an annual trilateral summit with Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, citing an ill atmosphere and foundation.

From left: Republic of Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun, Premier Wen Jiabao, Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi laugh as they hold hands posing for a group photo after the signing of a declaration on the ASEAN + 3 Summit during the 11th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. [Xinhua]

The postponement of talks "is not something that China wants", Wen told reporters, "the main reason for the impasse in China-Japan ties is that the Japanese leader won't treat the history issue in a correct way and made five consecutive visits to the Yasukuni Shrine that honors Class A war criminals in World War II."

The visits seriously hurt the feelings of Chinese, South Koreans, and the people of other Asian countries, Wen said.

China has long believed that good long-term relations are in the interests of the people of both countries, according to Wen, urging the Japanese leaders to take history as a mirror and take concrete measures to remove the barriers to bilateral ties.

China growth an opportunity, not threat

KUALA LUMPUR: China's booming economy and rocketing foreign trade spell an opportunity, not a threat, to the rest of East Asia, Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday reassured business leaders from neighbouring countries ahead of a regional summit.

Wen told the East Asia Summit Leaders Dialogue that China cannot develop in isolation from the rest of the world, particularly East Asia.

"China will continue to seek peace and development through co-operation, and will strive to achieve development that will bring about peace, openness, co-operation and harmony as well as benefit to itself and other countries," he said.

About 800 representatives from the business community in East Asia attended the forum.

Wen arrived here on Sunday to attend the inaugural East Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summits and pay an official visit to Malaysia.

The premier stressed that China needs a "durable and peaceful international environment" to enable the country to double the size of its economy - the world's seventh largest - to US$4 trillion over the next 15 years.

Gross domestic product (GDP) reached US$2 trillion last year following an average economic growth rate of 9.4 per cent over the past 27 years. China hopes to double that figure and raise its per capita GDP to US$3,000 by 2020, Wen said.

Much of that growth will depend on trade, and Wen said China expects to import goods worth more than US$2 trillion over the next five years.

"As Chinese companies continue to expand in business, China will contribute more significantly to Asia's economic growth," he said.

"China's development not only benefits its 1.3 billion people but also provides more opportunities for other East Asian countries."