Beijing, Seoul end summit with aid offers for Japan
China and South Korea yesterday offered to help Japan improve its nuclear safety and pledged more disaster relief in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The leaders of the three nations also agreed to step up negotiations on free-trade agreements, at the end of their annual two-day summit.
Nuclear safety and reconstruction assistance were the top agenda items for the summit, following the earthquake that devastated Japan and triggered a tidal wave that crippled the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and caused radiation leaks.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan was counting on the annual summit to convince the outside world that Japan is on the way to recovery, while Beijing said Sino-Japan ties would be strengthened through the offering of assistance. Premier Wen Jiabao repeated an invitation for Kan to visit China and pledged closer co-operation.
To aid in Japan's recovery, Wen pledged to reduce from 12 to 10 the number of Japanese prefectures subject to Beijing's food import ban, and also to stop requiring radiation inspection certificates on some food products, excluding vegetables, dairy and fishery products.
Beijing also plans to send a 100-person tour group to Japan, and will invite 500 Japanese students from quake-hit areas to visit China.
'Our interests are entwined,' Wen said at a press conference after the summit yesterday. 'Our destinies are closely linked. And the spirit of win-win progress and solidarity in times of adversity has taken deep root in the hearts of our people.'
China was ready to send support in the form of experts, technology and equipment, he said. He also called for co-operation in information sharing, emergency radiation monitoring, accident relief and other areas. China proposed an East Asian earthquake symposium later this year and offered 10 million yuan (HK$11.92 million) towards research. The three sides agreed to begin discussions on an early-notification system for emergencies.
