 Shrine visit a 'political publicity stunt'
By Zhang Xin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-23 07:47
Political observers termed as a publicity stunt the visit by Japanese lawmakers to the Yasukuni shrine. "The Japanese politicians' visit to the controversial shrine serves a political purpose as their elections, scheduled to be held before September, are drawing near," said Feng Zhaokui, former deputy head of the Institute of Japan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "They do not want to lose the votes from the offspring of the people immortalized in the shrine and from those who pay close attention to Japan's diplomatic moves," he said. "Generally, the Japanese government tends to play down the issue to avoid provoking resentment from neighboring countries," he said. Zhang Tuosheng, an expert in Japan studies with the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies, said: "Aso, along with the LDP party he leads, tends to find the middle ground to balance domestic political pressure and diplomatic relations." He pointed out that Aso had made a similar offering last October. "However, Aso's visit to China next week should not be overshadowed by this week's incidents," said Zhang. "He should keep the big picture of mutual cooperation and friendship in mind." Zhang said, the opposition voiced by the Chinese public is "understandable and natural" as this is a sensitive point. "We don't want to see the sensitive issue impact bilateral ties in a negative manner," he said. China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged Japan to keep its promise of overcoming political obstacles to promote cooperation between the two countries.
(China Daily 04/23/2009 page12) |
