Sajjad
11-28-2007, 03:29 PM
Chinese Warship Visits Japan
By ERIC TALMADGE – 11 hours ago
TOKYO (AP) — A Chinese warship dropped anchor off Tokyo on Wednesday in the communist nation's first military visit to Japan since World War II, symbolizing improving ties between the two Asian giants.
The port call by the guided missile destroyer Shenzhen, with about 350 crew on board, was part of an exchange that will bring a Japanese warship on a visit to China at a later date. It was the first visit ever to Japan by communist China's People's Liberation Army.
The visit took place amid concerns in Japan over surging defense spending in China, but the commanding officer assured his Japanese hosts that Tokyo has nothing to fear from Chinese military might.
"There is no need for concern, but we must be able to protect ourselves," Rear Adm. Xiao Xinnian told reporters aboard the ship. "China does not want to be a superpower or take over the world."
The port call also comes less than a week after Beijing deeply embarrassed Japan's closest ally, the United States, by refusing to allow the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and its battle group entry into the port of Hong Kong. The Kitty Hawk's home port is in Japan.
The Chinese ship arrived under heavy security with a Japanese destroyer as its escort and a half dozen helicopters buzzing in the sky. On board, a navy band played "Anchors Aweigh," while a cheering section of Chinese well-wishers brought by bus by the embassy waved Chinese flags and performed a lion dance.
During its four-day stay, the Shenzhen will be opened to the Japanese public for tours. It also will dock at the Japanese naval headquarters in Yokosuka, just south of the capital, before returning to its home base in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang.
Diplomatic relations between Japan and China — two nations that are increasingly vying for economic and political clout in the region — have visibly improved over the past year.
"We have made big strides in our military relations, and your visit symbolizes this progress," Adm. Eiji Yoshikawa, chief of staff for Japan's navy, told the Chinese delegation.
Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai said the warship was a "messenger of peace."
"Japan and Chinese relations are at an important point," he said. "China is following the path of peace and partnership, and Japan is an important neighbor for China."
Ties between the nations hit a low two years ago over territorial disputes and Japanese leaders' visits to a Tokyo war shrine, which many Chinese saw as inflammatory. But both sides have toned down their rhetoric and agreed to expand political and military exchanges.
Before the Shenzhen departed for the trip, China said it hoped the call would "have a positive effect on the development of the relationship between the two countries and their defense departments."
Still, distrust between Beijing and Tokyo runs deep, particularly in military issues.
Japan's brutal invasion and occupation of much of China in the 1930s and '40s have left a legacy of bitterness, one that Beijing has occasionally stoked to cater to nationalist sentiments.
Japanese officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly expressed concerns about China's surging military spending in recent years, calling for more transparency.
Tokyo and Washington, which has some 50,000 troops based in Japan, have sought to improve military-to-military relations with Beijing because they fear China's military growth, if unchecked, could be a destabilizing factor in Asia.
"I think our development is extremely transparent," Xiao told reporters. "There is no need for concern."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jC1zO3rH6xWRODUovq0ZM151JTXgD8T6IR0O2
By ERIC TALMADGE – 11 hours ago
TOKYO (AP) — A Chinese warship dropped anchor off Tokyo on Wednesday in the communist nation's first military visit to Japan since World War II, symbolizing improving ties between the two Asian giants.
The port call by the guided missile destroyer Shenzhen, with about 350 crew on board, was part of an exchange that will bring a Japanese warship on a visit to China at a later date. It was the first visit ever to Japan by communist China's People's Liberation Army.
The visit took place amid concerns in Japan over surging defense spending in China, but the commanding officer assured his Japanese hosts that Tokyo has nothing to fear from Chinese military might.
"There is no need for concern, but we must be able to protect ourselves," Rear Adm. Xiao Xinnian told reporters aboard the ship. "China does not want to be a superpower or take over the world."
The port call also comes less than a week after Beijing deeply embarrassed Japan's closest ally, the United States, by refusing to allow the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and its battle group entry into the port of Hong Kong. The Kitty Hawk's home port is in Japan.
The Chinese ship arrived under heavy security with a Japanese destroyer as its escort and a half dozen helicopters buzzing in the sky. On board, a navy band played "Anchors Aweigh," while a cheering section of Chinese well-wishers brought by bus by the embassy waved Chinese flags and performed a lion dance.
During its four-day stay, the Shenzhen will be opened to the Japanese public for tours. It also will dock at the Japanese naval headquarters in Yokosuka, just south of the capital, before returning to its home base in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang.
Diplomatic relations between Japan and China — two nations that are increasingly vying for economic and political clout in the region — have visibly improved over the past year.
"We have made big strides in our military relations, and your visit symbolizes this progress," Adm. Eiji Yoshikawa, chief of staff for Japan's navy, told the Chinese delegation.
Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai said the warship was a "messenger of peace."
"Japan and Chinese relations are at an important point," he said. "China is following the path of peace and partnership, and Japan is an important neighbor for China."
Ties between the nations hit a low two years ago over territorial disputes and Japanese leaders' visits to a Tokyo war shrine, which many Chinese saw as inflammatory. But both sides have toned down their rhetoric and agreed to expand political and military exchanges.
Before the Shenzhen departed for the trip, China said it hoped the call would "have a positive effect on the development of the relationship between the two countries and their defense departments."
Still, distrust between Beijing and Tokyo runs deep, particularly in military issues.
Japan's brutal invasion and occupation of much of China in the 1930s and '40s have left a legacy of bitterness, one that Beijing has occasionally stoked to cater to nationalist sentiments.
Japanese officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly expressed concerns about China's surging military spending in recent years, calling for more transparency.
Tokyo and Washington, which has some 50,000 troops based in Japan, have sought to improve military-to-military relations with Beijing because they fear China's military growth, if unchecked, could be a destabilizing factor in Asia.
"I think our development is extremely transparent," Xiao told reporters. "There is no need for concern."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jC1zO3rH6xWRODUovq0ZM151JTXgD8T6IR0O2