Japan decides to lift freeze on aid loans to China

    TOKYO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government made a formal decision on Tuesday to end its freeze on the about 74 billion yen (about 673 million U.S. dollars) in aid loans to China for fiscal 2005 through March, Kyodo News reported.

    A top decision-making panel on foreign aid strategy comprising Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Taro Aso and other Cabinet ministers decided to do so after comprehensively considering Japan's national interests, including the significance of Japan-China relations and its current state, Kyodo said.

    The yen loans, which is yet to be approved by the Cabinet, will in principle be focused on environmental issues, as well as water and energy, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe was quoted as telling a press conference.

China feels regret Japan makes aids loans sensitive issue: FM

    BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China feels regret that some Japanese make Japan's loans to China a sensitive issue, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao here on Tuesday.

    Liu told a regular press briefing that Japanese loans to China or the Sino-Japanese capital cooperation should be a positive element of the bilateral relations, and it will do harm to both sides to make it a "very sensitive" issue by some Japanese over recent years.

    Liu said the Chinese side welcomes that the Japanese side has declared to attach importance to the Sino-Japanese relations, but "only attaching importance is not enough, we hope them can take sincere actions for the improvement and development of bilateral relations", he stressed.