China, Japan ties strained over islands at summit - Reuters

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan (R) walks past China's Premier Wen Jiabao as Asian leaders get ready for a gala dinner during the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi October 29, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Damir Sagolj

By James Pomfret and Yoko Kubota

HANOI | Fri Oct 29, 2010 11:02am EDT

HANOI (Reuters) - Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will not hold a one-on-one meeting intended to mend ties at an Asian summit as Chinese anger flared over an over-lapping claim in the resource-rich East China Sea.

China lambasted Japan on Friday for raising the issue of disputed islands in the sea and a Japanese cabinet secretary later said Beijing had torpedoed a slated meeting between the two premiers at the last minute, though its pursuit of strategic and beneficial ties remained unchanged.

"I cannot say there won't be any impact (on relations)," said Japanese deputy chief cabinet secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama when asked about the setback. "But what is essential is a calm response," he told reporters.

Ties between China and Japan deteriorated last month with the detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain by the Japanese coast guard after their boats collided near the disputed isles.

The two sides had taken steps to mend ties and speculation swirled over whether Wen and Kan would hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific summit in Hanoi.

Japan said China's decision to scrap the talks was based on a "misunderstanding" over a media report that Beijing had agreed to resume negotiations with Japan on the exploration for oil and gas fields in the East China Sea.

China, however, put a different spin on the geo-political row, saying Japan had "inflamed" the East China Sea issue and disseminated information violating China's territorial claims.

"Their actions have damaged the atmosphere," Chinese Foreign Ministry official Hu Zhengyue told reporters in Hanoi, referring to Japan's raising of the Diaoyu islands in ministerial talks at the summit. "They are responsible for everything."

Japan calls the islands the Senkakus.

Both leaders appeared stiff and avoided eye contact when they lined up for photographs with other leaders during the day.

In a sign of the diplomatic shadow-play, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara earlier told reporters after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, that talks had been held in a "very good atmosphere."

The flareup over the islands is the latest in a string of rows to strain ties between the neighbors.

Both governments are extremely wary of public opinion in their countries where age-old suspicion runs deep, partly from Japan's wartime occupation of parts of China.

Anti-Japan protests broke out in several Chinese cities in recent days, while in Japan, Kyodo news agency reported that suspicious containers of red liquid were sent to the Chinese embassy and consulates.

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