Minister tells officials to help calm anti-Japan mood
Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told 3,500 party, government and military officials called to the Great Hall of the People yesterday they must help the people stay calm and rational, in Beijing's latest move to keep anti-Japan sentiment from running out of control.
In his speech, which was aired on China Central Television last night, Mr Li urged the public to remain cool-headed and to have faith in the ability of the party and government to defend their interests.
The foreign minister's remarks came as simmering Sino-Japanese diplomatic tensions saw little sign of easing.
In an interview to be televised in Australia today, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi calls on the mainland to 'become more grown up' and keep a cool head.
And Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China had not yet decided whether President Hu Jintao would meet Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for fence-mending talks this week at the Asia-Africa conference in Indonesia.
The Beijing meeting was organised by six ministerial level bodies to help officials 'correctly understand, support and uphold' Beijing's decision and arrangements.
In his address, Mr Li said: 'We must insist on the thorough implementation of the central government's decisions and arrangement, be conscientious in defending the stable and united political situation, reinforce our belief in the legal system, and express our feelings in a cool-headed, legal and orderly manner. Do not take part in unapproved activities such as marches, and stay away from activities that may undermine social stability.'
Mr Li said the new generation of leaders had 'fully inherited' the friendly policy towards Japan from its predecessors and made efforts to improve Sino-Japanese ties.
'We must believe that the party and the government are fully capable of acting in the fundamental interests of the country, and properly handling any questions that may arise in our relationship with Japan,' he said.
The foreign minister's call came after a China saw a third weekend of protests, some of which turned violent and resulted in damage to Japanese diplomatic missions and shops in major cities.
Mr Qin said at a regular briefing that China did not wish to see violent actions by anti-Japanese protestors. They would be 'dealt with according to law'.
But he reiterated the official position that China had nothing to apologise for and denied it was offering to compensate the Japanese for the protest damage.
The Beijing Diplomatic Service Bureau, a company affiliated with the Foreign Ministry that performs maintenance work on diplomatic missions, offered to replace broken windows of Japanese embassy in Beijing. But it was unclear who would pay for the repairs.
Rebutting criticism in Japan that China was ungrateful for economic aid totalling some 3 trillion yen ($217.5 billion) over the years, Mr Qin said the loans and grants were mutually beneficial in enhancing the trade relationship.