Foreign and Military Affairs

FM denies Nanjing visit by Hatoyama

By Guan Xiaomeng (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-01-07 19:19

The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied media reports that Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama would visit Nanjing, where 300,000 people were killed in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Thursday at a regular press conference that it is "imperative" to maintain close high-level visits between the two countries, but she called the media rumors of a Nanjing trip "groundless".

According to Wednesday's Japanese newspaper The Daily Yomiuri, the prime minister might visit the neighboring Nanjing while in Shanghai for the 2010 World Expo in June.

A senior official with the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Thursday on the condition of anonymity that the report is "no more than a guessing of those Japanese who wish to maintain a sound relationship with China".

The newspaper had also said Chinese President Hu Jintao would visit Hiroshima in Japan as a response to the visit to Nanjing.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that 192 countries and 50 international organizations have confirmed they will be represented at the Shanghai World Expo, and leaders from some of the countries also are expected to participate.

"It is too early to confirm the details," Jiang Yu said.

But some Chinese diplomats said the possibility of Sino-Japanese visits can't be ruled out.

Wang Taiping, former Chinese consul general in Osaka, Japan, told chinadaily.com.cn that Hatoyama's Democratic party pledged to "learn from history" after taking power.

Chinese delegates attend the annual peace conference in Hiroshima, he said. "So a Nanjing visit by Hatoyama and Hiroshima visit by Hu are both understandable," Wang said.