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Japanese prime minister urges China to pursue dialogue with Taiwan |
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May 12, 2000
TOKYO, MAY 11 (AP) - While reiterating Tokyo's position that Beijing is the sole legal government of China, Japan's prime minister urged visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan Thursday to pursue dialogue with Taiwan.
During a one-hour meeting at the prime minister's official residence, Yoshiro Mori told Tang that he hoped that Beijing and Taipei will "resolve their problems in a peaceful manner as quickly as possible," said Kazuhiko Koshikawa, a spokesman for the prime minister's office.
Tang told Mori that China will negotiate with Taiwan "on an equal basis" if its government gives up independence and shows by its actions that it accepts the "one-China" principle, Koshikawa said.
China suspects Japan and the United States of coveting Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory, in their sphere of defense.
Tang arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday for four days of visits with Japanese political leaders, economic groups and nongovernmental organizations.
China criticized Japan on Tuesday for planning to take part in a multinational naval exercise in Singapore later this year, and Tang hinted to Mori during their talk Thursday that Beijing remains mindful of Japan's militaristic past.
Quoting Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Tang said that China "looks toward the future with history as a mirror," Koshikawa said.
History is a sore point between the two Asian powers. Some conservative Japanese politicians and historians deny that Japan's 1937-45 war with China was an act of aggression.
During a meeting Wednesday between Tang with Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, the two sides agreed that Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji will visit Japan in mid-October, the spokesman said.
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