| ■ Top Chinese official tries to calm food fears in Japan | 2008.02.26 |
| TOKYO (AFP) - A senior Chinese official expressed sympathy Thursday to Japanese people who fell ill by eating frozen food made in China and tried to calm fears with a pledge that Beijing was investigating. In a speech delivered in fluent Japanese on a visit to Tokyo, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said food safety was a global concern. "I offer my sincere sympathy to the victims of this incident," Tang said in the address, delivered hours before he was to meet Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. He added that he hoped for a swift investigation into the case through cooperation between Japan and China. "The Chinese government is immensely interested in this incident and attaches great importance to it," he said. "I hope this will be resolved as soon as possible through close cooperation between China and Japan," he said. Tang later held talks with Fukuda for an hour, in which he touched upon the safety scare. |