DPJ`s Asia policy should not harm Japan-U.S. ties: Chinese envoy

TOKYO, Sept. 10 Kyodo -
Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cui Tiankai said Thursday that the Democratic Party
of Japan's Asia-oriented foreign policy should not affect Japan's bilateral
relations with the United States in a negative way.
''My impression from recent contacts with the members of the DPJ is that
emphasizing relations with Asia will not mean making light of the United
States,'' he said. ''And I don't think that having good relations with one
country should serve as a loss of relations with another country.''
''I have been once asked by a Japanese person about which side Japan should
stand by -- China or the United States. But I will propose the third option.
Japan can be in good terms with both China and the United States,'' he said.
The ambassador's remarks at a gathering of the Asian Affairs Research Council
in Tokyo came after concerns emerged in Washington over the DPJ's foreign
policy, which seeks a more independent stance from the United States while
favoring stronger ties with China and other Asian countries.
With the DPJ set to launch a coalition government with two smaller parties next
week, he also expressed hope toward building friendly ties between China and
Japan's new administration and said he is happy that Japanese political parties
do not have differences in opinions over the importance of promoting
Japan-China ties.
Meanwhile, he played down concerns over China's military buildup, saying
Beijing is ''very transparent'' in the point that it has no intention to seek
military expansion or to join an arms race.
''China will stick to the road of peaceful development,'' he said through
translation.
==Kyodo