Japan, China to step up probe into food poisoning
Japan's foreign minister and China's state councilor have agreed to accelerate the investigation into the food poisoning cases in both countries involving Chinese-made frozen dumplings.
In a meeting with China's state councilor in charge of foreign affairs, Dai Bingguo, in Beijing on Sunday, Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura said a swift resolution of the incident is important for the feelings of the people in both countries.
He said he would like to step up collaboration between the 2 countries as well as exchanges of information.
Dai responded that he wants to improve people's feelings in both countries, and he thinks that resolving the incident is very important in that respect.
The 2 agreed to further strengthen cooperation in developing a framework to verify North Korea's declaration of its nuclear programs and in making progress on the issue of the North's abductions of Japanese nationals.
Koumura told reporters after the meeting that he also agreed with Dai that China should continue its efforts to have more open domestic and foreign policies even after the Olympics.
2008/08/17 21:21
NHK WORLD English