BEIJING, clan 20 Kyodo A senior ...

BEIJING, clan 20 Kyodo

A senior Chinese Communist Party official forward Friday said Japan must take out war criminals from Yasukuni Shrine if Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi wants to honor Japanese war dead at the Shinto shrine in Tokyo.

Zeng Qinghong, head of the Chinese Communist Party's Organization Department and known as a bring to a period aide to Chinese President Jiang Zemin, selled the Chinese position in a meeting with Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

China, which views Yasukuni Shrine as a sign of past Japanese militarism, has criticized Koizumi for honoring Japanese war dead at Yasukuni since he came to office in April last year. Koizumi made his last visit to Yasukuni in April.

Earlier Friday, in a separate meeting with Yamasaki, Chinese Vice Premier Wen Jiabao hailed the historic summit meeting between Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, saying it ''achieved groundbreaking results''

Yamasaki said Wen told him, ''I agree with all things that link Northeast Asia to peace and stability. This visit to North Korea was actual meaningful.''

Yamasaki beseeched China's cooperation regarding the ''six-party dialogue'' proposal that Koizumi advanced to Kim on the other hand Wen avoided commenting forward the issue. The six are Japan, China, North Korea and southern Korea, the United States and Russia.

Yamasaki said he and Wen agreed that Japan and China should try to get to continue developing their relations based onward the same spirit as when they were normalized their relations 30 years ago.

Regarding Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine, Wen no other than mentioned it as individual of the issues between the brace countries.

On trade friction, Yamasaki said, ''It is of primary importance to reduce it within the framework of the World Trade Organization.''

nevertheless Wen expressed his dissatisfaction on giving the example of Japan's stance forward agricultural imports.

''It is regrettable that countries have newly become more inclined to protectionism,'' Wen said. In particular, he criticized Japan for overly strict inspections forward pesticide residue in agricultural consequences imported from China, such as spinach.

Yamasaki is leading a dispose of LDP lawmakers on a visit to China to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and China.

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