Hu warns Japan over planned purchase of Diaoyu islands
Surprise 15-minute talk between president and PM Noda as Japan moves to buy disputed isles
President Hu Jintao talked for 15 minutes with the Japanese prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, yesterday in their first meeting since bilateral ties deteriorated because of an escalating row over a chain of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
During the quarter-hour chat at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Vladivostok, Hu gave a stern warning to Noda against the Japanese government's controversial plan to purchase the uninhabited isles, known as the Diaoyus in China and the Senkakus in Japan, and bring them under state control.
Analysts said the fact that the duo met and talked about their differences was significant for bilateral ties because it occurred at a particularly sensitive time.
CCTV quoted Hu yesterday as saying: "Sino-Japanese ties are facing a grim situation over the Diaoyu Islands."
Hu said China was strongly opposed to any attempt by Japan to buy the disputed isles because it was "illegal and invalid".
"The Japanese side must fully understand the seriousness of the situation and not make any wrong decisions," Hu said.
Xinhua filed a story on the corridor meeting in the afternoon but revoked it; later it rereleased the story with a small addition, quoting Hu as saying "China and Japan can work together" to safeguard the overall development of Sino-Japanese ties.
Hu's warning came ahead of Tokyo's planned announcement of the nationalisation of the disputed islands, due tomorrow.
Professor Gao Hong of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences described Japan's move as provocative and said it could have disastrous implications on already strained relations. The meeting was a surprise for many after both countries made it clear that a formal talk between their leaders was unlikely during the two-day summit.
Animosity has been running high in China towards Japan in recent weeks after activists from both countries planted flags on the disputed islands last month and a spate of anti-Japanese protests across the country.
Professor Jin Canrong of Renmin University in Beijing said: "It is a high-stakes move on the part of Hu, because of widespread discontent over the government's handling of the row."
Jin said tensions would inevitably flare up again and Beijing would be forced to take countermeasures if Japan indeed bought three of the chain's five main islands. "Hu had to talk rather sternly because of mounting domestic pressure, which could be viewed as both a warning to Noda's administration and a sign that the tensions can still be controlled as long as leaders of the two countries continue to meet up and communicate," Jin said.
