WORLD
CHINA DAILY Tuesday, July 30, 2019 | 11sate wartime forced laborers.
Japan says the decision violated
international law because the issue
of compensation was settled under
the 1965 treaty that established dip-
lomatic relations between the two
nations after World War II.
“Things might be at their worst
since the normalization of diplo-
matic relations,” the Sankei quoted a
source close to Abe as saying.
Abe and Moon also did not meet
on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’
summit in Osaka, Japan, in June.
Adding to the export curbs, Japan
is preparing for Cabinet approval as
early as Aug 2 to remove South Korea
from a so-called white list status with
minimum trade restrictions, Japa-
nese media have reported.
But Japanese Chief Cabinet Secre-
tary Yoshihide Suga has not con-
firmed reports the Cabinet will
approve the plan as early as Aug 2. If it
does, the new rules would take effect
on Aug 23, forcing exporters to get
licenses to sell a huge array of prod-
ucts ranging from alloys of aluminum
to freeze dryers and vacuum pumps.
Approvals of such exports could
take up to 90 days, slowing but not
halting shipments. But ending
South Korea’s “white country” sta-
tus would also mean Japan could
limit exports of any product on
national security grounds.Abe unlikely to meet
Moon in September
Trade row between Japan, South Korea
to grow with Tokyo’s new export limits
TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minis-
ter Shinzo Abe is unlikely to meet
South Korean President Moon Jae-
in during the UN General Assembly
in September, the Sankei newspaper
reported, the latest sign of frosty
relations between the key allies of
the United States in Northeast Asia.
Abe will not hold talks with Moon
unless Seoul takes “constructive
steps” over World War-II era forced
labor and other issues, the Japanese
daily reported on Monday.
Abe will also forgo meeting Moon
at other meetings, including those
of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations meeting in October
and the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation gathering in Novem-
ber, the Sankei reported.
Relations between the two neigh-
bors are arguably at their lowest since
the countries normalized ties in 1965
as they spar over compensation for
wartime forced laborers and recent
export curbs imposed by Tokyo.
Japan tightened restrictions on
exports to South Korea of important
high-tech materials used for making
memory chips and display panels,
citing what it has called inadequate
management of sensitive items by
its Asian neighbor.
The curbs were seen as a response
to South Korean court rulings order-
ing Japanese companies to compen-
The tighter approvals on the three
items newly subject to licensing con-
trols — fluorinated polyamides, photo
resists and hydrogen fluoride — have
had a limited impact, analysts say,
because South Korean companies
had at least three-month stockpiles of
the computer chips and displays that
would be affected, thanks to slowing
demand and worries over trade ten-
sions between the US and China.
But the tightening controls are
adding to uncertainty for technology
manufacturers: According to IHS
Markit, in 2018 Korean firms SK
Hynix and Samsung Electronics sup-
plied 61% of memory components
used in various electronics, relying
heavily on Japanese suppliers.
“If restrictions remain, Korean
chipmakers’ production lines and
therefore global semiconductor sup-
ply chains are likely to be disrupted.
Korean chipmakers are major actors
in global semiconductor supply
chains,” Fitch Ratings said in a report.
Seoul has protested against the
plan, saying it would undermine their
decades-old economic and security
cooperation and threaten free trade.
“If the Japanese government
decides to remove South Korea from
its ‘white list’, this could substantial-
ly increase the negative impact of
trade frictions with Japan on the
South Korean economy,” Rajiv Bis-
was, chief economist for at IHS
Markit, said in a commentary.AGENCIESextraterritorial application of the
sanctions, and they also expressed
support and appreciation of China’s
efforts to implement the JCPOA, in
particular China’s effort to maintain
normal trade and oil relations with
Iran,” Fu said.Higher-level meeting
Both Fu and Araghchi said there
was a general agreement to organize
a higher-level meeting of foreign
ministers soon, but also that prepa-
rations for such a summit needed to
be done well. A date has not been set.
Iran is pressuring the remaining
parties to the deal to offset the sanc-
tions US President Donald Trump
reinstated after withdrawing last
year. Iran recently surpassed the
uranium stockpile and enrichment
limits set out in the agreement, say-
ing the action could be reversed if
the other parties came up with eco-
nomic incentives.So far, neither Iran’s announce-
ment that it exceeded the amount
of low-enriched uranium allowed
under the deal nor its revelation it
had begun enriching uranium past
the 3.67 percent purity allowed, to
4.5 percent, are seen as violations
likely to prompt the European par-
ties to invoke a dispute resolution
mechanism.
Both of Iran’s actions were veri-
fied by the United Nations’ nuclear
watchdog, the International Atomic
Energy Agency.
Iran is keen on the activation of a
barter-type system set up by the
Europeans that would allow the
continent’s businesses to trade with
Teheran without violating the US
sanctions.
Araghchi said the European sys-
tem was “not functioning yet, but it
is in its final stages”.AGENCIES—XINHUADiplomats recommit to saving deal
VIENNA — Diplomats from Iran
and five world powers recommitted
on Sunday to salvaging a major
nuclear deal signed in 2015 amid
mounting tensions between the
West and Teheran since the United
States withdrew from the accord
and reimposed sanctions.
Representatives of Iran, Germany,
France, Britain, China, Russia and the
European Union met in Vienna to
discuss the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action, or JCPOA, which
restricts the Iranian nuclear program.
“The atmosphere was construct-
ive, and the discussions were good,”
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Abbas
Araghchi told reporters after the
meeting ended.
“I cannot say that we resolved
everything” but all the parties are
still “determined to save this deal,”
he added.
Fu Cong, the head of Chinese dele-
gation, said that while there were
“some tense moments” during the
meeting, “on the whole the atmos-
phere was very good. Friendly. And
it was very professional”.
“I have two takeaway messages
from today’s meeting,” said Fu, also
director general of the Department
of Arms Control at the Chinese For-
eign Ministry, at a news conference
following the meeting. “First, all
sides have expressed their commit-
ment to safeguard the JCPOA and to
continue to implement the JCPOA
in an objective manner, and a bal-
anced manner.”
“The second point I take away
from the meeting is that all sides
have expressed their strong opposi-
tion against the US unilateral impo-
sition of sanctions, especially the
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi (right) and Secretary-gen-
eral of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid attend a
meeting of the JCPOA representatives in Vienna on Sunday. REUTERSAttack on VP candidate’s office kills 20
KABUL, Afghanistan — The death
toll from an attack against the Kabul
office of the Afghan president’s run-
ning mate climbed to at least 20 peo-
ple on Monday, an official said.
Around 50 other people were
wounded in Sunday’s attack
against the Green Trend party
office, which lasted hours and
included a gunbattle between secu-
rity forces and the attackers, who
were holed up inside the building,
according to Interior Ministry
spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.
Several gunmen were killed by
the security forces, Rahimi said.
The attackers’ potential target,
vice-presidential candidate and
former intelligence chief Amrullah
Saleh, was “evacuated from the build-
ing and moved to a safe location”,
Rahimi said. About 85 other civilians
were also rescued from inside.
No one immediately claimed
responsibility for the attack, but
both the Taliban and the Islamic
State group are active in the capital
and have carried out large-scale
attacks in Kabul in the past.
The Taliban, who effectively con-
trol half the country at this point,
have also been staging near-daily
attacks across Afghanistan even as
they hold talks with the United
States about a peaceful resolution
to the 18-year war, Washington’sFerdous Faramarz, the spokes-
man for Kabul’s police chief, said
the attack started with a suicide car
bombing, after which other attack-
ers entered the building and start-
ed shooting at security forces.
The explosion from the initial
bombing was large enough to be
heard throughout the capital.
Ghani is seeking a second term
in the Sept 28 vote on promises of
ending the war but has been largely
sidelined over the past year amid
US-Taliban talks.
US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who
is currently visiting Kabul, has held
several rounds of talks with the Tal-
iban in recent months. The two
sides appear to be closing in on an
agreement in which the US would
withdraw its forces in return for a
pledge from the Taliban to keep the
country from being used as a
launchpad for global attacks.
Locals slam the government over
what they described as “security
lapse,” calling upon the security
apparatus to protect the lives and
properties of people during elections.
“Some of the victims even don’t
have money to rebuild their houses
damaged by the blast on Sunday,”
Kabul resident Samiul Haq said.AGENCIES—XINHUALocal people inspect the site of Sunday’s attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday.
MOHAMMAD ISMAIL / REUTERSMain section of key bridge completed
VIENTIANE, Laos — With the
concrete beam of the last span over
Mekong River in place, the main
section of Luang Prabang cross-Me-
kong River railway bridge was com-
pleted on Sunday, seven months
ahead of schedule.
The completion of the Luang Pra-
bang Mekong River Super Major
Bridge, one of the two cross-Mekong
bridges along the China-Laos Railway,
indicates that the railway project con-
struction has made major progress in
the 2019 civil engineering schedule.
The 1,458.9-meter bridge lies in
the north of the former royal city of
Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World
Heritage site, nearly 220 kilometers
north of the capital Vientiane. It has
five main piers including 34 spans
along the Mekong River.
According to the Laos-China Rail-
way, which is in charge of the con-
struction and the operation of the
railway, the Luang Prabang cross-
Mekong River bridge is a challenging
task entailing more than 160 bridges
of the railway, involving the most
complicated building techniques.
With engineering quality borne in
mind, the Chinese engineering
teams have overcome the difficul-
ties brought by the Mekong River
with its turbulent current, rapidly
rising water level in rainy seasons
and non-overburden riverbed. The
teams have also overcome the tech-
nical difficulties in building a trestle
bridge for pier construction.
According to the China Railway
No 8 Engineering Group, which is in
charge of the construction of the two
cross-Mekong River bridges of the
railway, construction of the bridgewill be completed by the end of 2019.
As the first overseas route con-
necting China’s railway system
using Chinese technology and
equipment, the China-Laos Railway
is a major project in infrastructure
interconnectivity between China
and neighboring countries, and a
major project in implementing the
Belt and Road Initiative.
A groundbreaking ceremony of
the railway was held in 2015, and the
construction of the route officially
started a year later, while the rail-
way is expected to be operational in
December 2021. The 414-km China-
Laos railway links the Mohan-Boten
border gate in northern Laos and
Vientiane. Operating speed on the
route is designed at 160 km/h.XINHUAlongest conflict. The insurgents
however, refuse to directly negoti-
ate with the government, calling it
“a US puppet”.
Sunday marked the first day of
the Afghan presidential campaign,
with a vote scheduled for the end of
September.
After the attack, Afghan Presi-
dent Ashraf Ghani tweeted that
Saleh was unharmed during the
“complex attack” targeting the
Green Trend office.
Saleh founded the Green Trend
party after he was sacked as intelli-
gence chief in 2010 by former presi-
dent Hamid Karzai. Though a
relative newcomer on the Afghan
political scene, the party’s focus has
been democracy and reform while
fiercely opposing the Taliban and
their extremist ideology.Some of the victims
even don’t have
money to rebuild
their houses
damaged by the
blast on Sunday.”Samiul Haq, Kabul resident ,)ì)340)T7ì )49&0-'ì3*ì
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