3 days ago
Taiwan foreign minister's visit puts damper on Japan-China relations
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung's latest trip to Japan has put a damper on Sino-Japanese ties, with Beijing canceling at the last minute a bilateral meeting of agriculture ministers.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi avoided going into detail during a news conference Friday, stating only: "We understand that (the ministerial meeting) was not held due to scheduling conflicts of both sides."
Chinese agriculture minister Han Jun was set to visit Japan to hold a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, on Tuesday, after a trilateral agriculture ministers' meeting involving the two nations plus South Korea held in Incheon near South Korea's capital, Seoul, on Monday.
Many within the Japanese government consider Lin's Japan visit in late July to be the reason for the cancellation.
The Taiwanese side has said that the foreign chief had made a personal visit to Japan. During the trip, however, he held talks with Keiji Furuya of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who heads a suprapartisan group of Japanese lawmakers aiming for stronger Tokyo-Taipei relations, and other Japanese officials.
In light of heightened tensions between China and the United States, Beijing has been pushing for improved ties with Japan.
In autumn last year, China resumed its visa exemption for short-term stays by Japanese nationals. It announced in June this year the restart of imports of Japanese fishery products.
The Chinese government has been especially sensitive about the Japanese government's historical perceptions and Taiwan issues due to it marking the 80th anniversary this year of its victory in the past war against Japan. A senior official at the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, "China had to take a strong response based on moves by Taiwan."
Lin's trip may also impact Japan-China high-level talks expected to be held on the sidelines of a series of summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia in October.
