Japan, EU to urge China to develop as responsible state

Japan Policy & Politics, May 2, 2005

TOKYO, April 28 Kyodo

Leaders from Japan and the European Union plan to call on China to develop as ''a responsible and constructive global partner'' during their summit next week, a message that could be taken as criticism of its poor human rights record and apparent overlooking of vandalism in anti-Japan rallies, according to a draft summit statement obtained Wednesday by Kyodo News.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will reiterate Japan's opposition to the lifting of the European Union's arms embargo on China during the summit in Luxembourg next Monday with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, the draft says.

Japan has demanded an apology and compensation from China for vandalism to Japanese diplomatic property in China during recent weekend rallies, in what experts say was a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which calls for protection of diplomatic establishments from any intrusion or damage.

Japan, along with the United States, has grown concerned that the lifting of the 16-year-old weapons trade ban, which France in particular wants to realize, could increase China's military capability and threaten the stability of East Asia.

EU officials have also expressed concern about China's enactment of the law authorizing the use of military force against Taiwan in the event that Taipei declares independence, saying the law is an impediment to the lifting of the ban, which the European Union imposed following the 1989 crackdown on democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

The Japanese and EU leaders will stress that ''their strategic dialogue on East Asia's security environment should be enhanced,'' the draft says.

It shows that Japan is demanding that the leaders ''encourage China to promote stable reforms and open policies,'' while the EU prefers a softer approach.

On North Korea, the Japanese and EU leaders will urge the reclusive state to ''completely dismantle all its nuclear programs'' in a verifiable manner and return to the six-party talks ''expeditiously and without preconditions'' to that end, it says.

The six-nation nuclear talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia have been stalled since June last year, with North Korea citing Washington's ''hostile'' stance against it.

The European Union will confirm ''its strong support for efforts intended to lead to the settlement'' of Pyongyang's past abductions of Japanese citizens, according to the draft.

The European Union wants to play a greater role in establishing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The 25-nation bloc has extended 500 million euros in assistance to North Korea over the last five years, and is an executive member of the multilateral Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization.

Koizumi and the European leaders, meanwhile, will underline their support for United Nations reform and welcome the report last month by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan that called for expanding the Security Council, it says.

But coordination is under way on whether the leaders share Annan's view, as Tokyo hopes, that it is essential to take a decision on reforming the Security Council before the U.N. Summit slated for September, it shows.

As for a tug-of-war between Japan and the European Union over which side will host the world's first nuclear fusion reactor, Brussels wants to accelerate discussions to reach a final ''international agreement'' by the end of June, according to the document.

Tokyo, however, wants to reach an ''international consensus'' on the site for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor before the July 6-8 summit of the Group of Eight nations in Gleneagles, Scotland, it says.

In a meeting April 12 in Tokyo, Japan's Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Nariaki Nakayama and European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik agreed to speed up talks on whether Japan or France will host the multibillion-dollar project, which also involves China, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

The Japanese and EU leaders will reaffirm ''their wish to see Russia fully integrated into the global economy,'' including a call to improve energy efficiency, and underline ''the importance of continued reforms to strengthen the rule of law and the respect for human rights in Russia,'' the draft shows.

The leaders will agree to continue supporting Iraq's reconstruction and back up efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, it says.

They will note that closer exchanges between Japan and the European Union would be fruitful to help reconstruct areas around the Indian Ocean devastated by last December's tsunami disaster, it says.

Japan and the European Union have not yet decided whether they will emphasize counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan and the Indian Ocean as Tokyo wants, and state European demands such as Japan's ratification of the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court and advancing talks on a so-called post-Kyoto regime to fight global warming, a planned sequel to the Kyoto Protocol that came into force on Feb. 16.