JAPAN: JAPAN WELCOMES CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN скачать в хорошем качестве

JAPAN: JAPAN WELCOMES CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN

(26 Nov 1998) Natural Sound Japan welcomed Chinese President Jiang Zemin with all the grandeur of a state visit. But an audience with the Japanese Emperor Akihito and an honour guard salute were overshadowed by lingering tensions over old wounds. Jiang is the first Chinese head of state to visit Japan since World War II and arrived on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Chinese leader attended a welcoming ceremony along with dozens of other dignitaries at the Akasaka State Guesthouse in central Tokyo, where he will stay for part of his six-day visit. Standing on a red carpet next to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, Jiang and his wife looked on under a bright sun as a Japanese military band performed both countries' national anthems and a formal salute. Jiang's meeting with Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was trumpeted as an opportunity to lay a foundation for friendlier ties between the major Asian powers in the 21st century. In a bid to help warm often frosty relations, Obuchi was expected to offer the Chinese leader an apology for Japan's invasion and brutal occupation of China earlier this century. This is something Jiang was keen to secure during his trip. Obuchi was expected to offer a verbal expression of remorse accompanied by a vague expression of regret in a formal joint statement. Neither leader will actually sign the statement. Last month, Obuchi offered visiting South Korean President Kim Dae-jung a similarly worded expression of remorse for Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. But Obuchi and Kim signed that statement. The statement, due to be released late Thursday, also calls for establishing a hot line between Tokyo and Beijing, along with a pledge to increase the frequency of visits by high-level officials. Jiang then met briefly with the Emperor on the grounds of the Imperial Palace before returning to the ornate guesthouse, styled after France's Versailles, for talks with Prime Minister Obuchi. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...