China Fm: Chinese, Japanese leaders won't meet on Olympic sidelines

The Chinese leader will not meet or talk with the Japanese leader during the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia, China's vice foreign minister said on Tuesday. "China is not considering any engagement with the Japanese leader during the Sochi Winter Olympic Games," Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said at a press briefing on Tuesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Russia from Feb. 6 to 8 to attend the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Cheng said Xi's schedule at the Sochi winter games will be very tight. "Xi is scheduled to meet with Putin. So far we haven't arranged other bilateral meetings," Cheng said. When asked whether Xi will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Cheng said the Chinese government's stance is "very clear." He condemned Abe's latest visit to the Yasukuni shrine, which honored 14 class-A World War II criminals. Abe's visit on Dec. 26 last year was the first by a serving Japanese prime minister since 2006. Abe's shrine visit, which was aimed at "calling back the spirit of fascists and militarism," was widely opposed and condemned by the Chinese and peace-loving people in other countries, Cheng said. "Before the Japanese leader completely corrects his denial of Japanese aggression in WWII, the Chinese government's position on a meeting of the leaders is very clear," Cheng said. China and Japan have seen few high-level political contacts since the Japanese government announced in September 2012 that it would "purchase" part of the Diaoyu Islands, a move that contributed to the disintegration of bilateral relations.