China, Japan pledge closer ties

Source: CNN.

April 11, 2007

TOKYO, Japan (AP) — Strengthening a fragile detente, Japanese and Chinese leaders meeting in Tokyo pledged Wednesday to work together on North Korea, energy development and the environment while defusing thorny disputes over history and territory.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Japan on Wednesday in the first visit by a Chinese leader in nearly seven years, building on a groundbreaking trip by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Beijing last year to salvage seriously damaged ties.

The two, key trading partners, declared firm intentions to move forward on rebuilding relations, signing agreements on energy and the environment and issuing a joint statement that laid out a series of issues for the countries to cooperate on.

“We must build future-oriented and stable Japan-China relations,” Abe said at a banquet in Wen’s honor after the meeting. “We want to expand our common interests through strengthening dialogue in various fields.”

Wen said he expected his three-day visit to be a success.

“We must keep up the momentum toward building friendly ties that have been forged between the governments and peoples of the two countries,” he said. “Japan and China are at a crossroads where we must inherit the past while opening up the future.”

Wen arrived hours after the two countries signed an accord lifting Beijing’s four-year ban on Japanese rice imports. China banned imports in 2003, claiming Japanese rice did not qualify for its tightened quarantine system. (Full story)

The trip reversed a steep plunge in relations that had troubled the region and Japan’s top ally, the United States. (Watch how World War II has defined China-Japan relations)

They signed a series of agreements. An environmental accord called for the two to work on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by 2013. China’s emissions are not capped under the Kyoto pact, but they are a rising concern as the economy rapidly expands.

The other agreement committed Japan and China to cooperate on developing energy resources. In the joint statement, the two vowed to seek ways to jointly develop gas deposits in disputed waters, pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and work together on intellectual property rights.

The two powers also agreed to strengthen defense cooperation, setting up a visit by Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan later this year, as well as reciprocal visits by the countries’ battleships. The declaration also made a veiled reference to the bitter dispute over wartime history. China still nurses resentment over Japanese invasions in the 1930s and 40s, while Japanese nationalists accuse Beijing of exaggerating accounts of atrocities for political gain.

“We resolve to face up to history and open up good, forward-looking relations toward a beautiful future,” the statement said.

In an important nod to Tokyo, Beijing also offered understanding and sympathy for Japan’s “humanitarian concerns” regarding North Korea — a reference to Japan’s demand for resolution of Pyongyang’s kidnappings of Japanese citizens.

The Japanese were eager to stifle talk of disagreements. When asked about reports that Wen considered the visit an “ice-melting” trip, Shiozaki said: “We’re not aware of any remaining ice.”

The Chinese premier was scheduled to give a speech to parliament and meet with business leaders and the emperor on Thursday. He was even expected to join in a game of baseball with college students in western Japan on Friday before returning to China.

The two neighbors have good reasons to grow closer. China, including Hong Kong, is Japan’s No. 1 trading partner and Japanese companies are eager for access to Chinese consumers and labor. China, meanwhile, seeks Japanese investment and technology transfers.

While the emphasis was on cooperation, both leaders broached areas of concern. Wen, for instance, warned that history could be an obstacle to improved ties if not handled well, while Abe urged China to be more transparent about its troubling surge in military spending.

Wen assured Abe that Beijing would use its armed forces only for national security, Japanese officials said.

Wen also pointed out the dispute over gas deposits in the East China Sea. The two countries have not demarcated their exclusive economic zones in the area, and Japan has objected to Chinese exploitation of the deposits, saying that some of the gas belongs to Japan. Joint talks so far have achieved little.

Wen also stopped short of declaring Beijing would support Japan’s long running quest for a seat on the U.N. Security Council, only saying that China was in favor of “an important role” for Tokyo in the U.N.

Japan invaded China in the 1930s and occupied huge swaths of the country until Tokyo’s 1945 defeat in World War II.

The visit represents a further easing of ties strained for several years by Abe’s predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, who angered Beijing and other Asian neighbors with repeated visits to a Tokyo shrine honoring Japanese war dead, including executed war criminals. (Issues between China and Japan)

Abe, however, moved quickly to repair ties with visits to Beijing and Seoul in October, only weeks after taking office. Wen’s appearance in Tokyo should set the stage for a subsequent visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to Japan and perhaps another Abe trip to China.

The rapprochement has required some careful shelving of the two countries’ deep differences.

Japanese officials, including Foreign Minister Taro Aso, have been outspoken in the past about their concerns over China’s rapid increase in military spending, while Beijing has warily watched Tokyo build up military ties with the United States. But such concerns have been muted in recent months.

The history issue, meanwhile, has been safely handed off to a special panel to examine the wartime past. China has apparently decided not to make a fuss over Abe’s recent comments downplaying the military’s role in forcing Chinese and Korean women into sexual slavery for Imperial troops during the war.

“Clearly, the Chinese have been incredibly restrained. They are very eager for this to be a success,” said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Tokyo.

One exception is a potential visit by Abe to the Yasukuni war shrine. Japanese media in Beijing reported last week that Wen called on Abe not to visit the shrine, which China sees as a glorification of Japanese military conquests in Asia in the 1930s and 40s.

Abe has refused to say whether he would go or not, but speculation is high that he would not risk a meltdown with Beijing by praying at the shrine.

Wen’s trip underscored an aspect of the Japan-China relationship that has improved despite the political difficulties: trade. His schedule includes a meeting with Japan’s top business federation and a local chamber of commerce in Kyoto.

Japan’s trade with China — excluding Hong Kong — surged 11.5 percent in 2006 to US$211 billion, the government says. Japanese exports to China rose 15.6 percent, nearly double the 8.8 percent growth in 2005. Chinese imports to Japan jumped 8.5 percent.

Mainland China was poised to become Japan’s top trading partner this year, accounting for 17.2 percent of Japanese trade in 2006 — just shy of the U.S. share of 17.4 percent, Japan’s Ministry of Finance said. With Hong Kong included, China is already Japan’s No. 1 trading partner.

Report: Asia upgrading military

Source: CNN.

April 10, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) — While China has been modernizing its military in recent years, Japan, South Korea and Russia — all neighbors and potential rivals — have been pushing ahead with upgrades of their own, according to a report released Tuesday.

But Taiwan’s military spending has actually been decreasing, reflected in the government’s failure to appropriate funds to buy $18 billion in U.S. arms authorized by President George W. Bush for sale in 2001, the report said.

The report, titled “U.S.-China Relations: An Affirmative Agenda, A Responsible Course,” was sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent private-research group based in New York.

The study said Japan has significantly upgraded capabilities over 15 years, even though it spends less than 1 percent of its gross national product on defense.

It has deployed the Aegis radar system and accompanying missile systems for its navy and advanced fighter aircraft armed with advanced air-to-air missiles for its air force, the report said.

“Japan is working in partnership with the United States to develop theater missile defenses, primarily oriented against the North Korean threat, but with obvious application in the event of any conflict with China,” it added.

South Korea, the report said, has also undertaken a major modernization drive, replacing antiquated fighter aircraft, frigates, tanks, and artillery pieces with advanced systems, many of them purchased from the United States or developed in partnership with U.S. defense industries.

“South Korean forces enjoy a high level of interoperability with U.S. forces, proven again during South Korea’s deployment of more than 3,000 troops to Iraq,” it said.

The report noted that Russia is simultaneously China’s largest supplier of advanced military hardware and also a potential great power rival.

Thanks to strong oil revenues, Moscow seems poised to begin a significant force modernization drive, the report said, pointing out that Russia’s official defense budget has nearly quadrupled from $8.1 billion in 2001 to more than $31 billion in 2006.

While Russia may not complete an eight-year $190 billion military modernization plan announced in February, its growing capabilities “will complicate China’s defense planning and force posture as its keeps a wary eye on its 4,300-kilometer border with Russia.”

As for Taiwan, the study said that the island is not standing still even though it has not followed through on projected purchases from the United States. It said Taiwan is pursuing a $3 billion purchase of 60 new F-16 fighter aircraft to offset the retirement of aging F-5 fighters.

“But funding for this purchase has not yet been appropriated, and the United States is urging Taiwan to resolve at least some of the outstanding arms procurement issues before making any new requests,” the report said.

Navy plans massive war games off Guam

Source: CNN.

April 10, 2007

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The Navy will send three aircraft carriers to waters off Guam for large-scale exercises late this summer, the outgoing U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said.

The Valiant Shield war games will resemble exercises held near the U.S. territory last June. Those brought together some 28 ships, 280 airplanes and 22,000 troops.

Adm. Gary Roughead, announcing the exercises in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, said the Navy learned a great deal from last year’s large-scale exercises and wanted to hold similar drills again to improve on some of the tactics used.

“It was very important I think to take that information and while everything was still fresh to say let’s go ahead and do things again,” Roughead said.

The war games will only involve U.S. troops but will include forces from different services. The Marine Corps and Air Force participated in last year’s drills.

Last year’s exercises — the first Valiant Shield — were the largest the United States has had in the Pacific since the Vietnam War.

The war games underscore the Navy boosted presence in the Pacific.

The Navy is moving forward with plans to base a majority of its attack submarines in the ocean by 2010. It also intends to have six of its 11 aircraft carriers in the Pacific.

Just last month, the Navy announced plans to base the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego after it undergoes maintenance in Virginia. The Vinson’s move to California would bring to six the number of Pacific-based carriers.

The Navy has two carriers in San Diego, two in Washington state, and one based in Yokosuka, Japan.

Roughead, who is due to leave Hawaii next month to become the U.S. Fleet Forces commander in Norfolk, Virginia, included last year’s Valiant Shield exercises among the highlights of his accomplishments at the Pacific Fleet.

He also cited the fleet’s use of its ballistic missile tracking systems to track North Korea’s launch of missiles last July and humanitarian work with the USNS Mercy as accomplishments.

But Roughead said the sailors deserved the praise.

“It really had been great being out here and being able to watch the men and women of our Navy go do so many things and to do it really well,” Roughead said. “The credit goes to the sailors who are out there making it happen.”

At Fleet Forces Command, Roughead will be responsible for planning how the Navy trains and equips its sailors in upcoming years. He will also direct Navy ships in the Atlantic, reporting to the U.S. Northern Command.

President Bush has nominated the current vice chief of naval operations, Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard, to succeed Roughead.

U.S. presses N. Korea to shut reactor

Source: CNN.

April 9, 2007

TOKYO, Japan (AP) — The top U.S. nuclear envoy said Tuesday that North Korea’s reported willingness to immediately invite U.N. inspectors into the country once a dispute over frozen North Korean funds is resolved was “positive.”

“I think what was positive coming out of Pyongyang yesterday was the report that the DPRK is prepared to take these steps and get the (International Atomic Energy Agency) in there,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters in Tokyo.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan told a visiting U.S. delegation in Pyongyang Monday that his government would invite inspectors back “the moment the funds are released to the North Korean government,” according to Anthony Principi, U.S. President George W. Bush’s former veteran affairs secretary.

But Principi said Kim told the Americans that it would be difficult to shut down the nuclear reactor by a Saturday deadline called for in a February 13 nuclear disarmament accord. Under that agreement, the North must shut down and seal the Yongbyon nuclear reactor and a reprocessing facility in exchange for an initial shipment of aid.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is slated to monitor and verify the shutdown in what would be its first visit since late 2002, when North Korea expelled IAEA inspectors after U.S. officials accused the communist nation of running a secret uranium-enrichment program in violation of a 1994 disarmament deal.

“They can make a beginning, but whether they can completely shut down a nuclear reactor in such a short time would be very difficult,” Principi said.

The North agreed to shut the reactor only after the U.S. promised to resolve the key financial issue within 30 days — which Washington failed to do because the fund transfer has been mired in technical complications.

Kim “indicated that the North Korean government would invite the … inspectors back the moment the funds are released to the North Korean government,” Principi told reporters.

“They believe that it’s critical that the $25 million be returned to their government,” he said.

Hill: Timeline ‘becoming difficult’

In Tokyo, U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill said the deadline was going to be difficult to meet because of the ongoing dispute over the frozen funds.

“Clearly, we’re aiming for the complete implementation of the February agreement by day 60 … but that timeline is becoming difficult,” said Hill, who is in Japan to discuss the next stage of the nuclear talks.

He said resolving the financial dispute in the “next day or two” will be key in order for the North to meet the reactor shutdown deadline.

“We feel this should never have held up the nuclear process, but unfortunately it has,” Hill said. “We have some ideas for how to go forward, and we’ll see if we can do that in the next couple of days.”

The U.S. envoy also said Washington would push the North to fully meet its obligations. “There’s no such thing as partial implementation” of the agreement, Hill said.

The only immediate cost the impoverished North would suffer for not shutting down the reactor by the deadline would be an initial 50,000 ton shipment of heavy fuel oil promised as a reward. That shipment was part of 1 million tons of oil it would get for dismantling its nuclear programs.

The money dispute has held up progress in implementing the landmark agreement in which North Korea promised to take initial steps toward dismantling its nuclear program, including closing its main nuclear reactor, in exchange for economic aid and political concessions.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to comment on what might happen if North Korea misses the deadline, but said the United States continued to believe that all parties to the agreement are “working in good faith to meet it.”

But, he told reporters the money issue “was more complicated than anyone could have imagined,” and suggested Washington might not object to an extension of the deadline.

“We’ll take a look at where we are on Saturday,” McCormack said.

Japan approves extension of sanctions

On Tuesday, Japan’s Cabinet approved a six-month extension on trade sanctions against North Korea, which were imposed in the wake of the communist state’s nuclear test last year, Cabinet Office spokeswoman Miwako Fujishige said. The measures include closing ports to North Korean ships and banning the import of North Korean goods.

North Korea has refused to move forward because of the delayed transfer of the money frozen by Macau authorities after the U.S. blacklisted a bank in the Chinese-administered region in 2005 for allegedly helping Pyongyang launder money.

The delegation, which includes Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democratic presidential candidate, and Victor Cha, Bush’s top adviser on North Korea, is on a four-day trip to Pyongyang to recover remains of U.S. servicemen killed in the Korean War.

Richardson said his delegation pushed Kim for a show of good faith that North Korea was ready to meet its obligations under the February deal, asking for a meeting of the six nations involved in the nuclear disarmament talks before the deadline.

He said he was hoping to travel to the reactor site in Yongbyon, 55 miles north of Pyongyang, but there were a lot of “political issues involved.” He did not elaborate.

In the first minutes of the meeting between the North Koreans and the Americans, which reporters were allowed to watch before being escorted out, Kim said the visit, the first that included both Democratic and Republican officials since Bush took office, was of “very great significance.”

Kim and the Americans met at the Foreign Ministry building, which overlooks Kim Il Sung square. Hundreds of children and women in brightly colored traditional Korean dresses practiced dances that they will perform on Sunday, when North Koreans celebrate the 95th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the country’s founding president and the father of current leader Kim Jong Il.

Richardson and Principi also visited the USS Pueblo, the only active-duty U.S. warship in the hands of a foreign power. A North Korean official called the vessel a living example of continued U.S. aggression toward his country.

Richardson, a former ambassador to the U.N., has regularly made diplomatic trips, often on his own initiative, to global hot spots. Although visits to North Korea by senior U.S. officials are rare, this was Richardson’s sixth.

In a possible sign of improved ties, a North Korean general said the remains of six U.S. servicemen would be handed over to the Americans. Three of the sets of remains had identification tags, U.S. officials said after meeting with the general.

Richardson called it a noble humanitarian gesture that would bring comfort to American families.

Tokyo re-elects nationalist governor

Source: CNN.

April 8, 2007

TOKYO, Japan (AP) — Tokyo’s outspoken nationalist governor was re-elected Sunday despite his waning popularity, signaling Japan’s acceptance of its resurgent right wing.

Shintaro Ishihara, once seen as a contender for prime minister, is known for his criticism of China, North Korea, foreigners, immigrants, women — and even the French language. He has ignited outrage by ordering public school teachers in Tokyo to sing Japan’s national anthem at school functions or face punishment.

“Tokyo residents’ good sense brought this result,” a beaming Ishihara told supporters at campaign headquarters after Japanese media reported he was certain to win citing exit polls, securing his third four-year term.

Ishihara, 74, received 50.1 percent of votes, while the runner-up was trailing at 30.3 percent with 99.22 percent of the total votes counted as of early Monday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said on its Web site.

Sunday’s vote came ahead of nationwide parliamentary polls in July and was seen as a test of support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also known for his hawkish and nationalist stance.

Since taking office in September, Abe’s conservative government has bolstered Japan’s international military role and amended the constitution to require schools to teach patriotism.

Tokyo was among the 13 regions that held gubernatorial elections Sunday.

Three newcomers backed by Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party won, public broadcaster NHK said, giving a boost to Abe’s popularity, which has been slipping recently.

Though he won, Ishihara’s take in the vote was smaller than the 70 percent he garnered in 2003, underscoring voters’ discontent amid allegations of cronyism and expense-fund abuse. But the LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito, gave him support during the campaign while Shiro Asano, his major rival, was backed by the opposition Democratic Party.

Some voters said they preferred to stick with Ishihara rather than choose someone new.

“There were some scandals during his eight years,” said Akinori Otake, 32, an engineer who said he voted for Ishihara. “But he didn’t do anything so terrible, either. It’s better to keep things as they are now, rather than taking a chance with another person.”

Black Conservatives Speak Out on Duke Rape Case

Year-Long Controversy Based on Faulty Accusation Unnecessarily Stoked Racial Tensions.

For Release: April 11, 2007
Contact: David Almasi at 202/543-4110 x11
or Project21 AT National Center.org.

Today’s announcement that dubious sexual assault charges filed against the three current and former Duke students were dropped has members of the Project 21 black leadership network sharply criticizing those who used the year-long investigation to create racial animosity for personal or political gain.

“It’s absurd that a year of sex, lies and vilification consumed the lives of three young men now found to be wrongly accused of committing heinous crimes,” said Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli. “It underscores the importance of the maxim ‘innocent until proven guilty.’”

Duke students Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and the now-graduated David Evans, who are white and were member of the Duke University lacrosse team, faced charges of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree sexual offense. These charges stemmed from an accusation of rape made by a black woman employed by a local escort service hired to dance at a lacrosse team party last March.

Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, who was running for re-election when the case initially made national headlines, transferred the case to the office of the North Carolina attorney general in January under a cloud of controversy. Besides the fact that the accuser said she could no longer testify that she was raped under the state’s legal definition of rape, two DNA tests could also not link the defendants to their accuser. Furthermore, Nifong is now facing ethical complaints related to withholding DNA evidence from defense lawyers, “making misrepresentations to the presiding judge” and for making unethical statements to the media regarding evidence, testimony and the defendants’ character and credibility. Nifong could be disbarred if he is found guilty by the state bar association at a June hearing.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper today said there was insufficient evidence for the charges and the case was “a result of a tragic rush to accuse and failure to verify serious allegations.” He added, “we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges.”

“Nifong’s manic attempt to appease black voters he hoped would return him into office for another term shows his lack of propriety for the law he took an oath to uphold. It empirically shows the descent of a man willing to betray the public trust by pitting communities against one another along racial lines,” said Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie. “It shows a man willing to disaffect and even ruin the lives and future careers of young men guilty only of poor decision-making.”

“The lack of concrete evidence along with the shameless, racist on-camera antics by Michael Nifong and the likes of Jesse Jackson takes us back to the days of Tawana Brawley,” added Borelli. “They should be held accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to ruining the lives of young innocent individuals.”

Project 21, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research, has been a leading voice of the African-American community since 1992. For more information, contact David Almasi at (202) 543-4110 x11 or Project21@nationalcenter.org, or visit Project 21’s website at www.project21.org/P21Index.html.

N. Korea funds impasse resolved

Source: CNN.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiators have agreed on a method to release $25 million (euro18.7 million) in North Korean funds that are frozen in an Asian bank, clearing up a hitch that has stalled nuclear disarmament efforts.

After two weeks of talks in Beijing, banking officials from the United States, China, North and South Korea and the Bank of China have agreed on a “pathway” for the money to be returned to Pyongyang, the State Department said Friday.

“We support the release of all the funds. It is now a matter of technical implementation,” spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters, adding that the actual return of the money would be up to China and North Korea.

Previously, U.S. officials had suggested privately that some of the $25 million held in the blacklisted and now-shuttered Banco Delta Asia in the Chinese territory of Macau might be tainted and not released.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Washington’s top East Asia diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, secretly met a senior North Korean diplomat in New York recently and discussed how to resolve the financial dispute.

The Treasury Department said Friday its negotiators at the talks in China had worked to ensure the release of the money was consistent with international money laundering and other financial regulations.

“We stand ready to assist the Macanese authorities in their efforts to release the funds and with all parties to effectuate the North Korean pledge that any money received by them would be used for humanitarian purposes of benefit to the North Korean people,” it said.

McCormack declined to comment on South Korean reports the money would be transferred to North Korea through the Bank of China in Hong Kong. He referred questions about specifics to authorities in China and Macau. A U.S. official in Beijing, however, denied the reports.

McCormack refused to predict if, or even when, the “pathway” would actually be employed but said the money returned must be used for the “betterment of the North Korean people and for humanitarian purposes.”

He also announced that Hill would travel to the region on Sunday for talks with officials there on North Korea’s progress in shutting down its main nuclear facility by a mid-April deadline.

Hill will travel to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing to discuss the six-party process between North and South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan aimed at getting Pyongyang to halt its nuclear weapons program.

Hill’s visit will coincide with a trip to North Korea by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi that will focus on the repatriation of the remains of U.S. servicemen killed in the Korean War.

The standoff over the money has threatened the next step in a February agreement committing North Korea to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear facility by April 14 in return for economic aid and political concessions.

The funds were frozen after Washington blacklisted the small Banco Delta Asia for alleged complicity in money laundering and other illicit activities by North Korea.

Pyongyang said the freeze showed Washington’s hostile intentions toward it and refused to return to international talks on its nuclear program for more than a year.

The problems holding up the transfer of the money were believed to be related to difficulties finding a bank willing to accept the North Korean funds.

A top U.S. Treasury official, Daniel Glaser, had been in Beijing for 13 days trying to sort out the matter. He and his delegation left China on Friday without commenting on the resolution of the hitch.