DATE=7/7/99
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-251516
TITLE=CHINA / JAPAN (L-ONLY)
BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER KEIZO OBUCHI IS DUE TO ARRIVE IN
BEIJING THURSDAY FOR A THREE-DAY VISIT THAT WILL ALSO TAKE HIM TO
MONGOLIA. BEIJING CORRESPONDENT ROGER WILKISON REPORTS THE
HISTORICALLY PRICKLY TIES BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN, AND CURRENT
TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA WILL TEST MR. OBUCHI'S
DIPLOMATIC SKILLS.
TEXT: MR. OBUCHI WILL MEET SEPARATELY WITH THE TOP THREE LEADERS
IN CHINA'S COMMUNIST HIERARCHY: PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN,
LEGISLATIVE BOSS LI PENG AND PREMIER ZHU RONGJI.
CHINA IS ALMOST CERTAIN TO VOICE ITS CONCERN OVER THE RECENT
UPGRADING OF JAPAN'S SECURITY PACT WITH THE UNITED STATES AND
BEIJING'S FEARS IT COULD BE EXTENDED TO PROTECT TAIWAN IN THE
EVENT OF A CHINESE ATTACK ON THE ISLAND. CHINA VIEWS TAIWAN AS A
WAYWARD PROVINCE WHICH MUST BE BROUGHT BACK INTO THE FOLD BY ANY
MEANS, INCLUDING THE USE OF FORCE.
TOKYO AND WASHINGTON HAVE BEEN VAGUE ABOUT WHETHER THEIR SECURITY
GUIDELINES COULD ENCOMPASS TAIWAN IN AN EMERGENCY. BUT CHINESE
FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN ZHANG QIYUE -- SPEAKING THROUGH AN
INTERPRETER -- SAYS THE ISSUE IS AT THE TOP OF BEIJING'S AGENDA
IN MR. OBUCHI'S DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINESE LEADERS.
// INTERPRETER ACTUALITY //
THERE ARE STILL SOME OUTSTANDING PROBLEMS BETWEEN THE TWO
COUNTRIES. THE BILLS RELATED TO THE JAPAN/U-S SECURITY
COOPERATION GUIDELINES, ESPECIALLY THE TAIWAN QUESTION IN THIS,
IS A VERY OUTSTANDING PROBLEM. WE HOPE JAPAN WILL PROPERLY
RESOLVE THIS.
// END ACTUALITY //
CHINA IS ALSO INCENSED BY U-S/JAPANESE PLANS TO BUILD A MISSILE
DEFENSE SYSTEM. SUCH PLANS WERE SPURRED LAST YEAR BY NORTH
KOREA'S SURPRISE LAUNCH OF A BALLISTIC MISSILE THAT SOARED OVER
JAPAN AND INTO THE PACIFIC. CHINESE OFFICIALS HAVE ACCUSED TOKYO
AND WASHINGTON OF EXAGGERATING THE NORTH KOREAN THREAT TO PROJECT
THEIR MILITARY STRENGTH IN THE REGION IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONTAIN
CHINA'S RISE AS A WORLD POWER.
U-S, JAPANESE, AND SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIALS HAVE RECENTLY SAID THE
THREAT IS REAL AND NORTH KOREA MAY BE PREPARING TO LAUNCH A NEW,
MORE POWERFUL, MISSILE.
ANALYST JOHN NEUFFER, OF TOKYO'S MITSUI MARINE RESEARCH
INSTITUTE, SAYS MR. OBUCHI HOPES TO GET CHINA TO PERSUADE NORTH
KOREA NOT TO TEST-FIRE THE NEW MISSILE BECAUSE OF THE
CONSEQUENCES IT COULD HAVE ON THE NORTHEAST ASIA SECURITY
SITUATION.
// NEUFFER ACTUALITY //
HE IS PROBABLY GOING TO QUIETLY SAY TO THE LEADERS IN BEIJING:
LEAN ON YOUR COMRADES IN PYONGYANG, GET THEM TO NOT FIRE THAT
MISSILE. BECAUSE IF THEY DO FIRE THAT MISSILE, THE JAPANESE
ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL SHUT OFF MONEY TO HELP FUND THE BUILDING OF
LIGHT-WATER REACTORS IN NORTH KOREA.
// END ACTUALITY //
JAPAN RECENTLY APPROVED A CONTRIBUTION OF ONE-BILLION DOLLARS TO
A U-S/JAPANESE/SOUTH KOREAN GROUP BUILDING TWO LIGHT-WATER
REACTORS FOR NORTH KOREA. IN 1994, THE THREE COUNTRIES AGREED TO
SUPPLY PYONGYANG WITH FOUR-POINT-SIX-BILLION DOLLARS IN RETURN
FOR A FREEZE ON ITS DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
// OPT // IF JAPAN SUSPENDS ITS CONTRIBUTION, THAT WOULD PLACE
IT AT ODDS WITH WASHINGTON, WHICH WANTS THE ARRANGEMENT TO
CONTINUE AS A CONTRIBUTION TO STABILITY. BUT JAPANESE DIPLOMATS
SAY IT WOULD BE POLITICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEIR COUNTRY TO GIVE
MONEY TO NORTH KOREA IF IT LAUNCHES ANOTHER MISSILE. // END OPT
//
THERE IS ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE SINO-JAPANESE
AGENDA, AND THAT IS JAPAN'S WARTIME AGGRESSION AGAINST CHINA.
DURING A STATE VISIT TO JAPAN IN DECEMBER, PRESIDENT JIANG FAILED
TO OBTAIN A WRITTEN APOLOGY FOR TOKYO'S BRUTAL OCCUPATION OF HIS
COUNTRY IN THE 1930'S AND 1940'S.
// REST OPT //
MR. JIANG MISSED NO OPPORTUNITY TO TRUMPET CHINA'S CONTINUING
MISTRUST OF JAPAN, AND POLITICAL ANALYST NEUFFER EXPECTS THE
CHINESE TO DO THE SAME DURING MR. OBUCHI'S VISIT.
// NEUFFER ACTUALITY //
I THINK WHAT MR. OBUCHI IS PROBABLY DREADING IS BEIJING
LECTURING JAPAN FOR NOT APOLOGIZING ENOUGH, FOR NOT ADDRESSING
ITS WAR PAST.
// END ACTUALITY //
MR. NEUFFER SAYS THE ISSUE COULD EMBARRASS MR. OBUCHI IN BEIJING,
ESPECIALLY IF CHINA USES IT AS A NEGOTIATING TOOL TO EXTRACT
CONCESSIONS FROM JAPAN ON ECONOMIC AID AND REGIONAL SECURITY
MATTERS. (SIGNED)
NEB/RW/GC/JO/RAE
07-Jul-99 10:39 AM EDT (1439 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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