Above: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (L) shakes hands with his Japanese counterpart Masahiko Komura at the Iikura guest house in Tokyo April 17, 2008.
REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao
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Japan's foreign minister on Thursday called for more openness on Tibet and urged his Chinese counterpart to hold talks to resolve problems in the region, as the two met to discuss President Hu Jintao's trip to Japan next month.
But at a joint news conference following their talks, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi dismissed the comments, saying the violence in Tibet was an internal matter and that China had already provided information on the situation to other countries.
"I said we wanted to see more transparency on Tibet and that dialogue was important, that we wanted them to make plans for talks," Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said after talks with Yang he described as extremely frank.
He said Yang had provided a detailed explanation of China's view.
"Investigations have shown clearly that the serious violence was deliberately organized by the Dalai's followers," Yang said, referring to Tibet's exiled spiritual leader.
Yang said that China was nevertheless open to talks with the Dalai Lama.
"Our policy on the Dalai Lama is clear. Our door is open to talks with the Dalai Lama," he said, adding that the obstacle to the dialogue did not lie on the Chinese side.
The two ministers' comments did not break new ground on thorny bilateral problems, including an investigation into Chinese-made dumplings that poisoned several Japanese earlier this year and a row over development of gas fields under the sea between the two countries.
The two ministers said they had agreed to continue efforts to resolve both issues.
Hu's visit, which Komura announced would run from May 6 to May 10, will be the first to Japan by a Chinese president in a decade and is seen as a symbol of warming ties between the Asian neighbors after years of friction over a range of issues, many relating to World War Two.
Source: Reuters
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