Reconciliation only possible with sincere reflection: Chinese FM spokesperson

BEIJING - China said on Wednesday that reconciliation "must and can only be reached upon sincere and deep reflection in response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Pearl Harbor visit.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on Abe's Tuesday visit to Pearl Harbor, which has been dubbed by Tokyo a "tour of reconciliation."

"Reconciliation between the assailants and the victims must and can only be reached upon the assailants' sincere and deep reflection. Only such a reconciliation can be trustworthy and everlasting," Hua said.

She said she has noticed that many international media have used the word "smart" rather than "sincere" when reporting and commenting on Abe's visit, "which is very telling."

"For Asian victim countries, smart displays can never be as good as a sincere and deep reflection," she said.

Hua said China is firmly opposed to the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine by Masahiro Imamura, Abe's cabinet minister for reconstruction of disaster-hit regions.

The notorious Tokyo war shrine, which not only honors Class-A convicted criminals of World War II but also whitewashes the war, is seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

"We once again seriously urge Japan to squarely face and deeply reflect upon the history of invasion and deal with the issue with a responsible attitude to win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete acts," Hua said.