China may block Japanese Security Council bid
After days of violent protests, China hinted strongly that it will block Japan’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council with Premier Wen Jiabao saying that Tokyo had to face up to its wartime atrocities before aspiring to a bigger global role.
China has ignored Japan’s demands for an apology and compensation after demonstrators stoned the Japanese embassy in Beijing over the weekend, angered by Tokyo’s approval of a history textbook that critics say plays down Japanese military abuses.
Thousands also took to the streets in two other cities, with some burning flags and attacking Japanese businesses.
Wen said the protests should prompt “deep and profound reflections” by the Japanese.
“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,” Wen said yesterday during an official visit to India.
China, South Korea and other Asian nations have long accused Japan of not apologising adequately for invading and occupying its neighbours.
“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.
Tokyo showed no conciliatory signs today, announcing that it would allow Japanese gas companies to test drill in an area of the East China Sea also claimed by Beijing.
Japan would start reviewing applications from companies that wanted to explore deep-sea natural gas fields in the disputed water, trade and foreign ministry officials said.
The move was certain to anger China, which had no immediate comment.
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 US, which is a permanent member along with Russia, Britain, France and China.
For Japan to get a permanent seat, the UN 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.
The US, meanwhile, accused China of failing in its responsibility to protect the Japanese Embassy in Beijing from rowdy protesters.
“China does have a responsibility to prevent violence against foreign missions in Beijing,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Tuesday. “We think that it’s very regrettable that this one did turn violent and was not under control.”
