Hsu's pilgrimage for bomb victims

Hsu's pilgrimage for bomb victims

HIROSHIMA (Kyodo): Taiwanese Deputy Premier Hsu Li-teh, in Hiroshima to promote Taipei's bid to host the 2002 Asian Games, took time out yesterday to lay a wreath at the cenotaph of atomic bomb victims at Hiroshima Peace Park.

Japan's decision to allow Hsu to visit Japan provoked protests from Beijing which claims sovereignty over the island republic. Hsu is the highest ranking Taiwanese official to visit Japan since Japan and China normalized diplomatic ties in 1972.

Hsu, accompanied by his wife, visited the park Tuesday morning and offered a flower bouquet at the cenotaph in his capacity as Taiwan's deputy premier.