Low-key reception to mark China-Japan diplomatic anniversary
Row over the islands in the East China Sea casts a cloud over a scaled-down reception in Beijing amid a deterioration in Sino-Japanese relations
A fraying of ties over the Diaoyus cast a shadow over a function in Beijing yesterday where Politburo Standing Committee member Jia Qinglin met former Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yohei Kono and other "friends of China" to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Jia, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, reiterated that the disputed islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkakus in Japan, were China's inherent territory, and blamed the Japanese government for ruining the atmosphere of the anniversary by buying three of the islands earlier this month.
He said this had severely damaged Sino-Japanese relations to "an unprecedented, tightening level". Subsequently, a ceremony to mark the anniversary was scaled back to a reception for a small group of Japanese guests.
Kono, famous for his pro-China stance in Japan, was quoted by Xinhua as saying that he felt "deeply sorry" over the deteriorating relationship between the two countries.
Professor Yang Bojiang , from the University of International Relations in Beijing, said the relationship between Asia's two biggest economies could now be characterised as the "worst-case scenario" since the normalisation of ties.
"The previous disputes were mainly about historical problems, but the recent tension between the two nations is about economic interests and the strategic development of the countries," Yang said, adding that a UN report in the 1970s said the waters around the Diaoyus were potentially rich in resources.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang criticised Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda for saying Japan would not compromise on ownership of the uninhabited islands. Qin said Japan was deceiving itself by disregarding historical facts and international laws.