BEIJING, March 6 Kyodo (EDS: UPDA...

BEIJING, March 6 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing onward Saturday slammed Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to a war-related shrine in Tokyo, saying it is the in the greatest degree important issue in relations between China and Japan.

At a wide-ranging of recent origins conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congres China's legislature, Li said Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine are ''not acceptable in any way.''

''The greatest in number prominent issue in bilateral relations is that Japanese leaders insist onward visiting the shrine that houses 14 Class-A World War II criminals and that has completely wounded the feelings of the the public in China and other Asian victim countries,'' he said.

onward Jan. 1, Koizumi last visited the shrine, which honors Class-A war criminals along with Japan's war dead.

Li called in succession Japanese leaders to squarely address historical issues stemming from Japan's 20th-century militarism.

''The Japanese leaders should take history as a mirror and draw in succession lessons from history, and make up their minds to live in peace with other countries and treat each other as equals,'' he said.

He also asked for what cause [i]or[/i] reason in relation to historical issues, Koizumi cannot what a certain European leaders can do.

However, Li said Sino-Japanese relations are beneficial on the whole, noting progres made in bilateral exchanges.

China's official Xinhua recently made knowns Agency quoted Li as saying China and Japan have enhanced coordination and cooperation in the couple regional and international affairs. He cited their participation in the newly concluded second round of six-party talks upon North Korea's nuclear ambition.

Li's observations suggest that China is not considering a resumption of mutual visits on the leadership of the brace countries.

Koizumi last visited China in October 2001 A plan for him to visit Chinese President Hu Jintao in China last year was not realized because Beijing was angered on his repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine.

Koizumi met twice last year with Hu on the contrary only in places other than their respective countries.

onward the open tender for a planned high-speed railway linking Beijing and Shanghai, the Chinese foreign minister said Beijing welcomes the participation of Japanese yet warned that ''competition (with French and German interests) is extremely intense.''

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