Japan protests against Russia-China enterprise in Kurile Islands.

15/2 Tass 66

TOKYO, February 15 (Itar-Tass) -- The creation of a joint
Russian-Chinese joint venture in the South Kurile Islands described as
"northern territories" by Japan, which is laying claims on them, is
unacceptable for Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said here
on Tuesday.
"If the information is correct, it is unacceptable for us. This is our
territory, and our stand on the problem remains absolutely unchanged," he
stressed.
Maehara's statement came as a response to a report of Kyodo Tsushin
News Agency from Vladivostok, which said that the Russian and Chinese
fishing companies had signed a memorandum on the joint creation in the
Kunashir Island of a farm for the breeding of trepangs, to be exported to
China. According to the report of Kyodo Tsushin, the initiative came from
the Chinese firm.
According to a report of Ivan Kargapoltsev, Itar-Tass correspondent in
Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry does not have information about the
cooperation of Russian and Chinese companies in the economic development
of the South Kurile Islands. "We do not have any information about it,"
said Ma Zhaoxu, official spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry.
According to Ma Zhaoxu, "the South Kurile Islands are a problem of
bilateral relations of Russia and Japan. We hope the two countries will be
able to settle it in a proper way by means of talks."
-0-rom/kud