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Finally, China is standing their ground, and being strong to face an tough issue again!!
China Tells Japan to Face Up to Past
World - AP
By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer
BEIJING - In the strongest stand so far against the Japanese bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, China's premier told Japan on Tuesday to face up to its World War II aggression before aspiring to a bigger global role.
Reuters Photo
It was the strongest hint yet that China might exercise its veto as one of the council's five permanent members to block Japan.
"Only a country that respects history, takes responsibility for history and wins over the trust of peoples in Asia and the world at large can take greater responsibilities in the international community," Premier Wen Jiabao said during an official visit to India.
China, South Korea and other Asian nations have long accused Japan of not apologizing adequately for invading and occupying its neighbors, and Chinese animosities are aggravated by their rivalry with the Japanese to be the region's dominant power.
Sometimes violent anti-Japanese protests erupted in Beijing and two other Chinese cities over the weekend, sparked by Japan's approval of a history textbook that critics say plays down Japanese military abuses such as the forced wartime prostitution of thousands of Asian women.
"Last century the aggression war waged by Japan inflicted huge and tremendous suffering and hardships on people in China, Asia and the world at large," Wen told reporters in New Delhi. He said the protests should prompt "deep and profound reflections" by the Japanese.
Japan's government is campaigning for a permanent Security Council seat in recognition of its status as the world's second biggest economy, after the United States, which is a permanent member along with Russia, Britain, France and China.
For Japan to get a permanent seat, the U.N. Charter would have to be amended. That would require approval by the Security Council, so China could use its veto to block any change, although the Beijing regime has avoided explicitly saying it would do so.
Feelings are also high in Japan.
Police said Tuesday that China's consulate in Osaka received an envelope containing a spent bullet and a message threatening to harm Chinese people if anti-Japanese protests continue in China. The envelope didn't identify the sender and police declined to say where it was mailed.
Japanese nationalists have used similar intimidation tactics in the past.
Japan's trade minister, Shoichi Nakagawa, called China "a scary country" Tuesday and expressed concerns about how the violent demonstrations will affect Japanese business in China.
"I've heard they are aiming to become a market economy so they must respond appropriately," Nakagawa told reporters.
Still, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said he was going ahead with plans to visit Beijing next week for talks with his Chinese counterpart.
"It is important to deepen understanding between the foreign ministers and engage in activities that would help promote friendship between Japan and China," Machimura told reporters.
Despite strained relations, China and Japan are bound together by tens of billions of dollars in trade, aid and investment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang defended China's handling of the protests, but declined to say how China would respond to Japanese demands for compensation and an official apology.
"The Chinese people are friendly people. We are ready to carry out friendly cooperation with all countries," Qin said. "Nobody wishes to take to the streets. Everybody hopes that there will be peace, friendly coexistence and equality among states and countries."
Japanese businesses damaged by angry protesters in Beijing were closed for repairs Tuesday. Several Japanese restaurants were shrouded in plastic sheeting to cover broken windows.
At a Japanese car dealership, customers were leery about spending money on vehicles from a rival country.
"I won't buy right now because I'm afraid it will be smashed," one man said.