BEIJING : Breaking the Ice
Economic links between Japan and China, largely suspended after the 1989 military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing, will be the key issue during a four-day official visit this week by Japan’s finance minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto.
He is expected to meet with top Chinese officials, including Prime Minister Li Peng and Communist Party Secretary Jiang Zemin, in the first such high-level talks between the two nations since the crackdown.
Topping the agenda is disbursement of more than $6 billion in development loans during the 1990-1995 period to help China with such projects as improving ports, highways, telecommunications, air traffic control and the railway system.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
