Cable No. 3000 from Ambassador Hashimoto Hiroshi (China) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 'The Prime Minister’s Visit to China and Mongolia (Meeting of the Japanese and Chinese Foreign Ministers)'

Secret

Telegraphic Copy                                                                    04-034

The Prime Minister’s Visit to China and Mongolia (Meeting of the Japanese and Chinese Foreign Ministers)

No. 3000                     Secret              Top Urgent                  [blacked out]

On August 12, the foreign ministers of Japan and China had a meeting over breakfast. Its main points were as follows:

1. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

(1) Foreign Minister Qian Qichen said: China had contacted the Republic of Korea, the APEC Chair, four times concerning this issue. China’s basic principle is that, on the premise of one China, the participation of China; Taiwan, China (as the other party stated); and Hong Kong should be comprehensively settled. China is a sovereign nation, and Taiwan is a regional economy of China. In regard to the name, both Taiwan, China and Taipei, China would be acceptable. Taiwan’s “Minister of Foreign Affairs” would be an inappropriate participant. Persons responsible for the economy should participate.

We would like you to understand that China looks forward to the Republic of Korea adjusting its view. We also would like to ask for Japan’s understanding that China hopes to participate actively in relations of economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region.

(2) In reply, Minister Nakayama Taro said that Japan welcomed the participation of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan and looked forward to the efforts of the APEC Chair, the Republic of Korea.

2. Arms Control and Disarmament

(1) Minister Nakayama said: (a) I highly appreciated the announcement at the summit meeting that your country would participate in principle in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). I consider the announcement at the time of Prime Minister Kaifu’s visit to China as the result, Foreign Minister, of your efforts. (b) In regard to the no first use of nuclear weapons, I fully take note of your country having declared it and take note in regard to the request of your country that Japan make appeals to other nuclear countries.

(2) Foreign Minister Qian in reply said the following:

(a) In regard to Japan’s great concern regarding nuclear weapons, I can well understand it from Japan’s being the only country in the world to have suffered great losses due to nuclear weapons. I greatly sympathize with this concern.

(b) China has the following five principles in regard to nuclear weapons, namely: (1) We limit them to a means of self-defense. (2) We call for a total ban and their complete elimination. (3) We will not be the first to use them. (4) We support the establishment of nuclear-free zones. (5) We will not use them against countries without nuclear weapons. Since we announced this thinking to the whole world, various countries have been actively supporting it.

(c) That we announced China’s position at the time of Prime Minister Kaifu’s visit to China is because we attach importance to relations between Japan and China and because there exists great understanding between our two countries.

(d) I once again express thanks for being able at the time of the recent visit to Japan to have been able to engage with  Minister Nakayama in exchanges of view on various subjects, including this one.

(3) Minister Nakayama, together with saying that he highly appreciated the Chinese side’s statements, said that, because there seemed to be somewhat insufficient understanding on the Chinese side of the Japanese side’s thinking concerning the issue, raised at the summit meeting, regarding the international transfer of conventional arms, we will send (separate fax transmission) those points to you in document form and request that you then give them your consideration. 

3. Economic Cooperation with China

(1) Minister Nakayama said that the economic cooperation in which Japan engages with every country, including China, is in principal entirely untied. It is structured such that any country can participate in it.

He pointed out that, in regard to China, the procurement rate for Japanese enterprises was high but that this was not now the case.

(2) Foreign Minister Qian said in response that he thought that the recent reporting in the magazine Newsweek that concerns were growing over the strength of Japanese economic power was rather biased. On the other hand, he said, China’s trade, capital, and technology markets were open to the world and that Japan and the West could all participate in them. Minister Nakayama, giving a brief introduction to Japan’s experience, explained that its basis was that economically wealthy countries supplied funds to developing countries and that these countries would become wealthy and provide funds in turn.

(3) In regard to the Four Guiding Principles as they applied to official development assistance (ODA) and military spending, Minister Nakayama said that it would be difficult to gain the public’s understanding where Japan’s financial cooperation bore the burden of the country in question’s military spending, so we advocate the above four principles. The proper allocation of resources is necessary.

4. Safe Operations of Fishing Vessels in International Waters of the East Sea

(1) As the issue was one attracting a great deal of attention in the Diet, Minister Nakayama again requested a sincere response from the Chinese side on cooperation between Japanese and Chinese law enforcement authorities.

(2) In reply, Foreign Minister Qian said: Ambassador Hashimoto submitted a request to Vice Foreign Minister Xu Dunxin. The Chinese side has responded seriously and conducted an investigation. The situation is a complicated one.　The Chinese side has taken certain measures and is working to prevent incidents from happening again. In regard to the cases that have happened already, however, judging which country was responsible for those cases is difficult. In any case, we would like for Japan and China to cooperate with one another, adopt appropriate measures, and prevent such incidents from happening again.

(3) Foreign Minister Qian said that for a time there had been an issue of illegal entry into Japan from China, with much entry from southern China, but that there had been a crackdown and the situation at present was stable. Consequently, he expressed his confidence that the aforementioned issue of the fishing vessels could also be settled through mutual cooperation and expressed the hope that Japan would make an appeal to its mass media not to make too much of fuss about such an issue.

5. Twentieth Anniversary

(1) Minister Nakayama began by saying that, as we mark the twentieth anniversary, he hoped for a settlement to the issue of shortening the air routes between Japan and China before saying that he hoped that the Chinese side would make an appeal to North Korea.  Foreign Minister Qian then replied that it was not an issue for the Chinese side and that the issue was necessary for saving time and energy.

(2) Minister Nakayama requested the Chinese side’s active response on the 6^th Intergovernmental Consultation on Japan-China Cultural Exchange, scheduled for September, and the opening of an office of the Japan Foundation. Foreign Minister Qian replied that, with exchanges between Japan and China expected to increase further with the visit of Prime Minster Kaifu, it is necessary first to strengthen exchanges between diplomatic authorities.

Passed to diplomatic missions in the United States, Britain, France, the Delegation of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament, the Republic of Korea, and the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations.   

(End)