China deemed a Veto to end Japan's permanent seat bid

38 SG · 2005-06-08T23:12:47+00:00

We come closer, The nationalism Reigns and the internationalism fades... Sigh...

38 SG

China's Ambassador to UN Mr Wang Guangya said there was no question his country would vote against the proposal by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan(G4), all of whom hope to get permanent seats.

Full report:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/06/02/china.unreform.ap/index.html

The G-4 resolution needs to be approved by two-thirds of the 191 member states to be adopted, but that's only a first step.

The most difficult step is a final resolution to change the U.N. Charter, which not only requires a two-thirds vote but also approval by the Security Council's five permanent members who wield veto power -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.

By indicating so, China is on course to veto the final resolution to change the U.N Charter which will effectively end Japan's much ado for a UN permanent seat.

kaka_22 SG

i reali hope Jap dun get the seat…......

alexkusu SG

i hope india n brazil dun get it

LazerLordz SG

Face it..having all of them on board the Security Council would mean an engaging step ahead.

38 SG

Come on, Lazer... to b frank, I just feel u a little bit 2 Ideological and internationalism, when talking abt RSNs possible LPD acquiring in future, u only clearly identify they r suitable for humanity op, never considering how expensive and how deadly those kill machine are. I dont think Sprean taxpayers will appreciate ur kind internationalism.

Now u r talking chinas approval of Japan to challenge her at higher level an engaging step ahead. but 4get what ppl have posted in military nuts regarding how serious the alliance between US and Japan mean to China. Japanese Self defense guard already the most powerful Navy in Asia while japan still opposed EUs lifting of arm embargo openly , Giving Japan another political muscle will only frustrate China further, When come to Nationalism, China definite will wield her Veto in scarifying Internationalism .
Bush wins for his nationalism, Japan is re-writing the textbook to protect their nationalism, China, if in turn dont play the card, she will face huge internal problems.

LazerLordz SG

Change is never pretty, but it would force China to look inwards and reform herself and her people.Something's got to be the bootstrap to lift China forward in all aspects, and instead of living on blind nationalism, she needs to understand and learn why the world does not revolve around her wants.

The US-Japan alliance has proved for the last few decades that ideologies aside, it's still the most stable force in the region for peace.Simply because they do not use naked, belligerent nationalism to try and get their way in the North Asia region.

Japan, Brazil and India all can contribute to the collective council in their own ways.And the world should finally stop bending over to China, she is not the only country in the world that has suffered from war.Yes , the Japanese should apologize more and compensate, but to let a 50 year old grievance stand in the way of an initiative that might benefit the rest of the world stinks of too much pride and stubbornness.

sgdiehard SG

It is not just apology and definitely not compensation, it is feeling deeply remorse for the atrocities committed and to assure its neighbours that militarism does not follow nationalism and history does not repeat itself.

With Germany setting the good example, japan's refusal to acknowledge historical facts really stinks of too much pride and stubbornness.

38 SG

To put things straight,

How about Germany honors Hitler in their shrine... and their Chancellor visites yearly?

What's going to be the reaction from other EU country?

Then, 1 will easier understand why China n S.Korea's reaction comes .

LazerLordz SG

Though we agree that Japan has to be remorseful, how long more will the world wait?The UN is in need of support and funding,to help it stay relevant and be a force of reason against the regular unilateral actions of Bush and his kid partner Blair.

Campaigns and persuasion can be held for a long-term basis, shoring up the UN does not wait.Apology or not.That is the sad but ultimate truth.

boy in blues SG

http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-06-03-voa5.cfm

Indonesia Not Ready to Support Japan's Security Council Bid
By Steve Herman
Tokyo
03 June 2005

Indonesia's leader, on a visit to Japan, has failed to say the one thing Japanese officials really wanted to hear - an unequivocal endorsement of Tokyo's quest for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. But there was progress on boosting economic ties.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono praised Japan for its "crucial role" in the economic development of the region and said he hopes that will continue.

The Indonesian leader also said Jakarta and Tokyo will work together to promote reform of the United Nations. But at a news conference he stopped short of backing Japan's bid for a permanent Security Council seat - either with or without veto power.

"There is eligibility of Japan to run for the candidacy of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council," he said. "But the Indonesian stance will, of course, be announced in due time because we are still exercising, we are still formulating, that kind of formal stance [and] recommendations."

Indonesia is in a delicate situation when it comes to this issue. While Japan has been a major investor and aid donor in Indonesia, Jakarta is building stronger ties - including military cooperation - with Beijing, which strongly opposes Japan holding a permanent seat.

Japan, Brazil, Germany, and India have banded together in an effort to create up to six new permanent council positions.

China's ambassador to the United Nations this week called the so-called G-4 proposal dangerous, saying it would divide the world body and derail discussion of U.N. reforms.

Japan and Indonesia did find themselves in agreement on trade issues, during Mr. Yudhoyono's four-day visit.

Japanese officials say the Indonesian president and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi talked for 20 minutes Thursday, their fourth meeting since last November, and agreed to begin negotiations on a free trade pact next month.

A trade deal would give Japanese companies greater access to Indonesia, the world's fourth most-populous nation. Indonesia supplies Japan with significant quantities of oil and gas, helping to make Japan Indonesia's biggest overseas market, accounting for about a quarter of its exports.

Japan already has free trade pacts with Singapore and Mexico and less than two weeks ago concluded a similar agreement with Malaysia. It is also in trade discussions with South Korean and Thailand.

suntze SG

If Japan wants to get into the UNSC, it should first resolve issues of the Yasukuni shrine and the history textbooks with China and Korea. ATM, chances are slim according to the following article.

As far as Spore's interests are concerned, LHL is on record voicing support of Japan's bid and at the same time, telling off Koizumi regarding the shrine and textbook issues. It's a delicate balancing act.

Japan's Security Council dreams clouded with neighbors wary (AFP)

KYOTO, Japan (AFP) - Japan's cherished dream of becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council looks as murky as ever with poor relations with China hanging over its bid.
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura spearheaded Japan's latest lobbying drive when he chaired a two-day session of the 38-nation Asia-Europe Meeting, trying to rekindle momentum to implement historic UN reforms at the world body's September summit.

But the meeting which closed Saturday saw only a few nations such as Finland and Slovenia throwing their backing behind Japan to join the club of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States which wield veto power at the UN.

"In Asia, China has already been working hard as a member of the UN Security Council," Machimura told the meeting of top diplomats in the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto.

"In order to raise Asia's presence as a whole, Japan is also ready to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council," Machimura said. "We would like to get your understanding."

The Security Council set-up dates back to World War II, making an expansion with Japan a major step symbolizing its rehabilitation into a major power.

But China and South Korea, which suffered Japanese atrocities before and during World War II, accuse Japan of not atoning for its crimes and voiced opposition to their wartime enemy's hopes during the Kyoto meeting.

"The UN Security Council should be reformed based on the broadest possible consensus," Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said. "It is difficult for China to support ideas of setting a deadline or forcing a particular proposal."

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon agreed, saying: "UN reforms should not lead to dissonance. UN reforms are supposed to make the UN effective."

Japan has launched a joint bid for Security Council seats with Brazil, Germany and India but all have faced reluctance from their neighbors.

Machimura failed to win support of the full European Union amid Italy's criticism of giving a seat to Germany, which would leave Rome as the main European nation without a permanent Security Council seat.

"All the EU members are interested in the issue," Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn of Luxembourg, which currently holds the EU presidency, told Machimura.

"But at the same time, it's a difficult issue. It is very difficult for the EU to have a consensus on UN Security Council reform," Asselborn said.

Japan has secured wide support in the developing world and is the only expansion candidate explicitly backed by the United States, its close ally.

But Washington has rejected UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's proposal to set a deadline of the September summit, meaning momentum for the long-discussed UN reform could slip.

Experts forecast that Japan's chances of winning a Security Council seat were now slim.

"It is nearly impossible for Japan to get the result by September," said Yoshinobu Yamamoto, professor of international politics at Aoyama Gakuen University in Tokyo.

"China and South Korea are holding the key to the success of Japan's bid," Yamamoto said. "Its fate especially depends on China. If China says it's okay, Japan's permanent seat will be in sight."

But China has described its relations with Japan as being at a 30-year low after Tokyo approved a history textbook that allegedly whitewashes its wartime crimes.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao last month used fellow candidate India as a base to denounce Japan as unfit for a Security Council seat, weeks before Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made his own trip to New Delhi.

Koizumi in April offered a new apology for the suffering Japan caused in the past when he addressed an Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta attended by both Annan and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Japan argues that it deserves a seat as it is the world's second largest economy and a major donor, last year setting at 19.5 percent its share of funding for the United Nations.

Only the United States contributes more at 22 percent, with permanent members of the Security Council on average giving less than 10 percent each to the UN budget.

Agressor SG

And Offendig both China and Japan at the same time. Smart move @#$%

Ito_^ SG

and i god dammed support it. Mr. Green

38 SG

This is 1 of the correct steps Japan is taking to mend the wartime wrong doings:

Japan To Build Chemical Weapons Disposal Complex in China
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, TOKYO

Japan will spend more than 200 billion yen (US$1.9 billion) on building a chemical weapons disposal center in China to process Japanese weapons left there after World War II, a news report said on June 6.

The chemical weapons recovery and disposal facilities will be built in the Haerbaling district of Jilin province, where most of Japans abandoned chemical weapons are believed to be buried, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said.

The project is expected to be the largest overseas endeavor ever to be undertaken by the Japanese government, it said, without citing sources.

The cost of the project may increase further if the disposal process takes longer than expected, it said.

Officials at the Foreign Ministry were not immediately available for comment.

Japan and China will sign a special accord this summer on the initiative, the newspaper said.

The accord is expected to allow foreign companies that are not eligible to take part in large-scale projects under Chinese law to work on the disposal as long as they receive approval from the Japanese government, the newspaper said.

Foreign companies working on the project also will receive preferential treatment in tariffs on materials imported for the initiative, as well as in taxes on project-related deals in China, the newspaper said.

The Japanese government is expected to conduct an international bidding process for selecting construction companies for the project within the year, it said.

Japan estimates its forces abandoned more than 700,000 chemical weapons in China during the war, although Chinese experts say as many as 2 million exist ?the worlds largest stockpile of abandoned chemical arms.

Some 90 percent of abandoned chemical weapons, including mustard gas, a highly poisonous blistering agent, are buried in Haerbaling and experts fear chemical agents from the weapons may have polluted the soil in the area.

Under the U.N. Chemical Weapons Convention, Japan has until 2007 to destroy all of the chemical weapons its troops left in China

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=896746&C=asiapac

bismarck SG

from waht i know germany did repent and regret. frankly speaking, germany shld get it ?

pearlie27 SG

Yes Japan has deep pocket but it is not possible that you don't know that Japan, esp under Koizumi, is the complaisant US poddle in the Far East!

38 SG

The clear statement also sends the signal to other nations seeking Permanent UNSC seats to distant themselves from Japan.

However, US is smart enough to issue another statement which clearly declared their only support of Japan. Implying if Japan not passing, the others are not eligible for the seats(sth like the No 1 not qualified, so the rest also not qualified), thus effectively forcing other pending nations to bind together with Japan.

So the deadlock here, Maybe this time Japan did swallow 2 much Slim10 that made the chance for them to qualify now really SLIM.. and so do the other poor nations...

38 SG

BTW, I think US is openly against Germany’s bid.

suntze SG

US is openly against Germany's bid to join UNSC is basically to prevent Europeans having a bigger say. ATM France and Britain are already in the UNSC. Whilst Britain is allied with US, France pursues an independent foreign policy and has clearly stated its preference for a multi-polar world (similar to China's position).

US supports Japan's bid because Japan is an ally (some ppl unkindly calls American poodle) but opposes India and Brazil (not US allies). Like they say, there is only permanent self interest.

kaka_22 SG

from my opinion though, giving Japan the seat will not help asia and also the relations of sino-japan, it will worsen and among those that will be deeply affected is singapore herself…....