CHINA: Tensions between China and Japan eased at the weekend after the two Asian powerhouses appeared to paper over the cracks in relations strained by a row over Japan's war record. But fundamental disagreements remain and could well resurface.
The tentative thaw in the worst row between Tokyo and Beijing since relations normalised in 1972 came after China's president Hu Jintao met Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi on the fringes of a summit in Jakarta.
The spat between China and Japan has led to three weekends of violent anti-Japanese protests across China, with diplomatic missions and other targets attacked by demonstrators. Mr Koizumi made an unusually public apology for Japan's past atrocities in Asia on Friday, expressing "deep remorse" and offering a "heartfelt apology" for Japan's wartime wrongdoings in Asia in a speech at the Asia-Africa summit, which helped smooth the path for a meeting.
However, it by no means addressed all of China's complaints about Japan's wartime records.
Mr Hu demanded that his Japanese counterpart match his contrite apology with action to ensure that Japan "never do anything again that would hurt the feelings of the Chinese people".
Mr Koizumi responded by describing Japan as a "peaceful nation reflecting on the experience of the war". The normally smiling Mr Hu looked solemn and stiff when shaking hands with Mr Koizumi, who grasped the Chinese leader's hand with both hands.
The two countries have been at loggerheads since the publication of a history textbook in Japan that the Chinese believe minimises atrocities carried out during the occupation of China from 1931 to 1945.
The Chinese are also irked by Tokyo's campaign for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
The spat is seen by some analysts as a battle for influence in Asia, which is expected to become the engine room of global economic growth in the years to come.
Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura yesterday hailed the ice-breaking talks in Jakarta but he warned Beijing against more anti-Japan demonstrations.
He also sidestepped the question of whether Mr Koizumi would again visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are buried alongside the war dead and which China sees as a potent symbol of Japan's past militarism.
"The prime minister has repeatedly said he will make an appropriate decision after taking all factors into account, so all I can say is that he will make an appropriate decision," Mr Machimura said.
The Japanese leader had repeatedly explained the visits were to pay respects to those who lost their lives in war and pray for peace, the foreign minister said.
Tokyo believes its critics are wrong to focus on the shrine issue alone, and that more consideration should be given to the fact that Japan has been a peaceful nation for 60 years.
However, the Chinese are annoyed that 80 Japanese parliamentarians - most of them from Mr Koizumi's party - visited the shrine within hours of Mr Koizumi's apology.
An editorial letter in the China Daily newspaper described the lawmakers' visit as "a slap in the face".
"Prime Minister Koizumi's remorse and apology are familiar to our ears. We hope Koizumi will mean what he said yesterday. What Asian people want is for Japanese leaders to be as good as their word if they are serious about their soul-searching on the issue," the editorial said.