| Sino-Japanese leaders' meeting impossible in December - official(Xinhua)
 Updated: 2005-11-30 13:47
 
 An official from China's Foreign Ministry said in Beijing Wednesday that 
it is "impossible" for Chinese and Japanese leaders to hold bilateral meeting in 
the December summits in Kuala Lumpur due to current chilled relations between 
the two Asian neighbors. 
 Cui Tiankai, director of the ministry's Asian Department, said the relations 
between China and Japan are in difficulties because the Japanese leader 
stubbornly persists in paying pilgrimage to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 
the convicted class-A World War II criminals along with others died in war. 
 Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the shrine in October, the 
fifth since he took office in April 2001, which angers China and the Republic of 
Korea (ROK). 
 The shrine visit "has severely damaged the feelings of the Chinese and other 
Asian peoples," said Cui at a news briefing on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's 
upcoming visit to Malaysia to attend the ninth Summit between China and the 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ninth ASEAN plus China, 
Japan and the ROK Summit and the First East Asian Summit. 
 "Under such circumstances, the Japanese side wishes everything proceeds 
normally as if nothing has happened. That is impossible," said Cui. 
 Cui said the trilateral meeting among China, Japan and ROK could be decided 
through consultations of the three parties, but the bilateral meeting between 
Chinese and Japanese leaders is "impossible." 
 "The Japanese side should bear full responsibility for the difficulties China 
and Japan are facing in their relations," he added. 
 
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