Tokyo, Beijing to postpone Hu's visit until mid-May

Japan and China plan to postpone Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan from April to mid-May apparently because of fallout from the food-poisoning scare over imported gyoza dumplings, sources said.

The planned visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to Japan in late March to prepare for Hu's visit will also likely be postponed, they said.

If Hu comes here this year, he will be the first Chinese president to visit Japan since Jiang Zemin in 1998.

In China in December, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Hu agreed that the Chinese leader would visit Japan "around the time when cherry blossoms bloom," meaning in April.

But in January, reports surfaced that at least 10 people in Japan were sickened by frozen gyoza imported from China. The food was found to contain a banned pesticide.

Investigative authorities of Japan and China have been at odds over where the toxin got mixed into the food.

And feelings of distrust between the peoples of the two countries have grown.

When Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan visited Japan in late February, he discussed the schedule of Hu's visit with Fukuda and Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.

Around the same time in Beijing, Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to talk about Hu's schedule.

But Chinese authorities are now instructing government-affiliated think tanks to examine when Hu should visit Japan, according to the sources.

The instructions were issued because of the gyoza poisoning cases, they said.

Fukuda said, however, that the gyoza scandal would not affect Hu's visit to Japan.

"It is desirable for both Japan and China to solve the gyoza issue as soon as possible," he told reporters at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao told the National People's Congress that relations between China and Japan have improved.

Wen's remarks underline the Chinese government's determination to make Hu's visit to Japan a success, according to the sources.

It was the first time for Wen to clearly say in a report on government activities that Japan-China relations have improved.

The National People's Congress, equivalent to the Diet in Japan, opened Wednesday.

His report was broadcast live throughout China.

Wen talked about Japan-China ties after reporting on China's diplomatic relations with the United States, Russia and Europe.

Wen also said: "Friendly relations with surrounding countries have been strengthened further. New results have been seen in regional cooperation."(IHT/Asahi: March 6,2008)