China refuses to commit itself to Asian Games
China refuses to commit itself to Asian Games
BEIJING (Reuter): China yesterday declined to rule out a
boycott of the Asian Games and warned Japan of grave consequences
if it did not reverse its decision to grant entry to a senior
official from arch rival Taiwan.
The Games are due to start in Hiroshima on Oct. 2, with a
record 7,300 athletes and officials from 42 nations attending.
China will have the largest delegation.
Chen Jian, spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said Taiwan
was using the visit by Vice Premier Hsu Li-teh to "squeeze into"
the games with the purpose of creating what he called "two
Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan".
The Communist government maintains that there is only one
China with Taiwan a constituent, if rebellious, province.
Tokyo has pledged to issue a visa to Hsu in his capacity as
chairman of a committee heading Taiwan's bid to host the 2002
Asian Games and said his visa was unrelated to politics.
Chen declined to say whether China has decided to attend or
boycott the games and would not give a date by which such a
decision would have to be made.
"We hope the Japanese government will realise the possibility
of grave consequences" of allowing Hsu to enter Japan for the
games, Chen said without further explanation. He called China's
opposition to Hsu's attendance "an important matter of political
principle".
He said China hoped Japan would reconsider "so as to prevent
Sino-Japanese relations from being impaired".
Japan's Kyodo news service has reported that China has
apparently cancelled State Councillor Li Tieying's plans to visit
Japan to attend the games' opening ceremony.
Chen indicated that Li's plans had been affected by the row.
He said the postponement of a scheduled visit by Japan's
Minister of International Trade and Industry was related to the
busy schedule of his Chinese counterpart, not to the dispute over
the games.
Visa
A Japanese diplomat said Tokyo has decided to issue the visa
to Hsu and that it would be very difficult to reverse the
decision.
"We have asked for China's understanding. Hsu is coming in his
capacity as the chairman of the committee on Taiwan's bid to host
the 2002 Asian Games," he said.
Diplomatic sources said the foreign ministries of China and
Japan had agreed that, in exchange for cancelling a visa for
Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, Tokyo would give one to Hsu as a
compromise.
"Beijing initially agreed to this. Tokyo was startled when
Beijing began to object so strongly to it. Apparently, someone
higher up in the Chinese leadership objected to the deal and
demanded a protest," one source said.
Meanwhile, the first Taiwanese athletes began to arrive
yesterday and shrugged off the diplomatic row, saying they were
in Hiroshima to compete.
"We're sportsmen, not politicians," equestrian team coach
Zhong Yan-hue told a news conference in Hiroshima.
"We'll maintain friendly relations with the mainland Chinese
athletes like we have at other international competitions until
now," he said.