China makes gesture to Japan, but keeps up heat

China offered to repair damage by protesters to Japan's embassy in Beijing but kept up the pressure in a diplomatic row yesterday, saying Japan needed to show its sincerity to reverse a downward spiral in relations.

China's Foreign Ministry said a two-day visit to Beijing by Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura to try to patch things up had yielded consensus on some issues.

But the two sides remained far apart on broader disputes that have dragged relations to their lowest point in decades.

China has seen three weekends of violent protests against Japan. Many are angry about a revised Japanese school textbook they say whitewashes Japan's wartime history and also oppose its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

"There have already been statements," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang. "What's key is action."

The Asian powerhouses appear to be talking past each other, risking a high-stakes partnership worth $178 billion in annual trade. Still, there have been gestures.

Protesters smashed more than 20 windows at Japan's embassy in Beijing as thousands of demonstrators converged on it on April 9, an embassy spokesman said yesterday, adding that a company under China's Foreign Ministry had offered to do the repair work.

"They offered to fix the damage" to the embassy office building, he said. "My colleagues in Tokyo are thinking of how to respond to this offer."

Angry crowds also damaged the Japanese ambassador's residence in Beijing and, in a separate protest this weekend, the consulate in Shanghai. Japan was still seeking compensation for the damage.

China's Foreign Ministry and the Diplomatic Services Bureau, which manages diplomatic property in China, declined to comment on the offer of repairs.

In a bid to rein in the public, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing urged Chinese yesterday not to participate in illegal demonstrations or endanger social stability.

"Do not take part in protest activities that have not been approved. Do not do anything to affect social stability," state television quoted Mr Li as telling a meeting in Beijing of 3,500 members of the Communist Party, government and military.