On Tuesday a formal decision was taken by the Japanese
government to end its freeze on the annual disbursement of aid
loans to China for the fiscal year 2005 through March, Kyodo News
Service reports.
The ruling was agreed upon by a top decision-making panel on
foreign aid strategy comprising Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi,
Foreign Minister Taro Aso and other Cabinet ministers, Kyodo
reports. .
Local media said the move was apparently aimed at giving a boost
to repairing soured bilateral ties.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe announced today that Japan
will provide China with a low-interest loan of 74 billion yen
(US$659.3 million) for fiscal year 2005 -- a reduction ?of
around 10 billion yen over the last fiscal year.
(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2006)