C.bank head to cancel Tokyo trip over Koizumi's shrine visits
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-30 18:18

Calls to the Chinese Embassy seeking comment rang unanswered Friday. Repeated calls to the People's Bank of China in Beijing went unanswered.

Officials from the Institute for International Monetary Affairs and the Tokyo American Center _ set to host the symposium _ were not available to comment Friday because of the year-end holiday.

In May, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi abruptly canceled a meeting with Koizumi during her eight-day trip to Japan. The Chinese government later cited its anger over Koizumi's comment on his pilgrimage to the shrine.

Wu was the first high-level Chinese official to visit Japan in more than a year.

Japan and China are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment, and are key players in six-nation talks aiming to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program.