Japan's Abe in China for ice-breaking summit

BEIJING, Oct 8: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing today, seeking a thaw in relations chilled by wartime history and consulting his hosts on North Korea's nuclear threat.

In his meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao, both sides expressed hopes of overcoming past animosities, soured by regular visits to a controversial war shrine by Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, that had angered China and hampered progress on territorial, trade and energy disputes.

''To develop our friendly cooperative relations serves the basic interests of our peoples,'' Wen said. ''We ought to work on our China-Japan relations in line with the world trend and the necessity of our peoples,'' he said.

In his reply, Abe, on his first overseas trip since taking office on September 26, said he wished to ''build a relationship of trust with Chinese leaders''.

Abe was also to meet President Hu Jintao and parliament chief Wu Bangguo before flying to Seoul tomorrow for talks with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun.

Beijing and Seoul refused summits with Koizumi because of his pilgrimages to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, seen by critics as glorifying Japan's past militarism.

But Abe's Beijing visit, less than two weeks into his tenure as prime minister, is seen as a chance for a fresh start.

''The change of government gives an opportunity for both sides to build a new relationship regardless of what has happened up to now,'' an aide to Abe told reporters in Beijing. Abe, at 52 the first Japanese premier born after World War Two, is a conservative who wants to restore Japan's sense of national pride, and has defended Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni.

Abe has also paid his respects there in the past, but has declined to say whether he would do so as prime minister.

But mending ties is seen as key to addressing North Korea's threat to conduct a nuclear test, an issue certain to be high on the agenda at the two summits. A Japanese official said Abe would call for closer cooperation with China in dealing with the North.

SANCTIONS?

Abe, Hu and Roh are expected to urge North Korea not to go ahead with a nuclear test, but behind the scenes they could well differ over how to persuade Pyongyang to hold back.

Japan and the United States prefer a hard line that would include tightening sanctions in the event of a test, while South Korea and China lean towards negotiation and incentives.

US officials have said Pyongyang could detonate a device as early as this weekend.

Abe has laid the groundwork for the summits by softening his public statements on history, although experts warn the diplomacy could backfire in Beijing and Seoul if he later visits Yasukuni.

No one expects the meetings to erase bitter memories of Japan's wartime aggression and colonisation, end mutual mistrust, or settle disputes over territory and energy rights.

But Abe is hoping his summitry will win plaudits from voters at home, and ease concerns in Washington about regional tensions.

Japanese business executives worried about an economic fall-out from chilly diplomatic ties have pressed Abe to improve relations with its neighbours. And with their vital trade and investment links, China and South Korea are also keen for better ties with Tokyo.

In a sign of Beijing's eagerness for rapprochement, its leaders were meeting Abe despite today's opening of a key gathering of senior Communist Party officials.

REUTERS