China expresses anager over Japan visa to Uygur leader

Beijing, Oct.21 (ANI): China has strongly condemned Japan's decision to issue a visa to Uygur separatist Rebiya Kadeer.

"We have exchanged views with the Japan side on the issue and we express strong dissatisfaction that Japan has granted Kadeer the entry to facilitate her separatism activities despite China's severe objection," the China Daily quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu, as saying at a news briefing yesterday.

"Any separatism scheme to split China will not result in anything," Ma said.

Kadeer was expected in Japan yesterday and intended to stay through early November, after the government of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama issued her a visa on Monday, Kyodo News reported yesterday.

The alleged mastermind behind the July 5 riots in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, during which at least 197 people were killed and more than 1,700 were injured, was allowed entry into Japan with a visa granted by Taro Aso's government in July, which was also protested by China.

Kadeer's second visa-granting this week, by Hatoyama's government just days after his goodwill trip to China, is likely to raise another wave of protest from Beijing.

Chinese observers believe the visa decision will interrupt the refining of Sino-Japan relations.

Lu Yaodong, a Japanese studies scholar with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, described the visa issue as "going against the basics" of the Sino-Japan strategic relationship.

He considered the Japanese action "unfavorable", even though Hatoyama's visit to China. (ANI)