Xi Jinping, Abe may not meet at all at Sochi Games
22 Jan 2014 6:21 AM IST
Japan’s ties with China have recently deteriorated due to a series of disputes, including Abe’s visit to a shrine seen as a symbol of Japanese militarism - a visit that also infuriated South Korea, which like China also suffered from Japan’s wartime aggression.
Xi will visit Russia from 6-8 February to attend the opening ceremony, China said on Monday in an apparent show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has staked his political future on the success of the Games.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said last week that plans were being made for an Abe trip to Sochi to attend the opening ceremony, but that nothing had been finalised. The Olympics run from 7-23 February.
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping, speaking in Beijing on Tuesday, said that Xi had no plans to meet any Japanese leader in Sochi.
Ties have been strained over a dispute involving a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea and Abe’s visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are honoured along with war dead. The visit prompted concern from key Tokyo ally the United States
‘If there is a situation (where there is an encounter between the two), the Chinese leader will sternly explain China’s position,’ Cheng said.
Abe has made ties with Russia a priority of his tenure despite a long-standing dispute over several islands seized by Russia in the waning days of World War Two that has prevented the two nations from signing a peace treaty.
Xi will visit Russia from 6-8 February to attend the opening ceremony, China said on Monday in an apparent show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has staked his political future on the success of the Games.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said last week that plans were being made for an Abe trip to Sochi to attend the opening ceremony, but that nothing had been finalised. The Olympics run from 7-23 February.
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping, speaking in Beijing on Tuesday, said that Xi had no plans to meet any Japanese leader in Sochi.
Ties have been strained over a dispute involving a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea and Abe’s visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are honoured along with war dead. The visit prompted concern from key Tokyo ally the United States
‘If there is a situation (where there is an encounter between the two), the Chinese leader will sternly explain China’s position,’ Cheng said.
Abe has made ties with Russia a priority of his tenure despite a long-standing dispute over several islands seized by Russia in the waning days of World War Two that has prevented the two nations from signing a peace treaty.
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