BEIJING — Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura on Monday wrapped up a two-day visit to China aimed at halting the recent free fall in relations between the two countries but left with little to show for the talks.
Beijing remained noncommittal over Tokyo's request for a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of an Asia-Africa summit in Indonesia this weekend. Chinese officials said they were studying the idea and would respond in due course through diplomatic channels.
Even as Japanese officials expressed concern over the violence across China directed against their embassy, consulates and companies, Chinese officials repeated their belief that Japan was at fault for failing to own up to its past military aggression.
"It shouldn't be us who should apologize," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei told reporters. "It is Japan who should apologize."
Students and other protesters in Beijing and Shanghai have demonstrated against Japan for the last three weekends after critics slammed a recently released Japanese textbook for glossing over the island nation's World War II atrocities.
Chinese also have voiced opposition to Tokyo's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and criticized Japan for labeling Taiwan as an area of strategic concern. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and other nations' involvement in the island as interference.
Rising Chinese nationalism has been evident in the cities of Dongguan, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the south, Chengdu in the central part of the country and Shenyang in the northeast.
After Sunday's meeting between Machimura and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, Wu said Monday that bilateral relations were at their lowest point since the two nations normalized ties in 1972. Machimura also met with State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan to discuss issues tied to Taiwan, history, the nations' relationship and the Japanese textbook, but reached no breakthrough.
Despite the tense atmosphere, there were continued signs that Chinese authorities were trying to lower the temperature after standing by earlier as demonstrators overturned cars, smashed windows at restaurants and beat up a handful of Japanese nationals.
