Published by World Tibet Network News - Tuesday, February 18, 1997Originally in Japanese. Translated by Japan Committee for Tibet (PXG03410@niftyserve.or.jp)
12 February 1997, Yomiuri Shimbun
On 11 February the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan withdrew its plan to open the consulate office in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, although the Japanese government intended Chengdu to be the base of diplomatic activities in the inner-land China.
The Chinese government had once approved the Japanese plan of openning the consulate office there. The Japanese government allocated budget for it in 1995. After that, as the Chinese government became unwilling to the Japanese plan, which made the Japanese government withdrawn it.
Majority is of the view, as an official source agrees, China changed its attitude partly because China did not want Japanese to monitor Tibetan situations from Chengdu. This clearly reflects that Tibet issues are so touchy to the Chinese government.
In Tibet, tension has persisted between the authority and anti-Chinese groups supporting the Buddhist leader Dalai Lama.
