16 April 2005	Saturday	06 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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BEIJING/TOKYO, April 15: China braced for a second wave of anti-Japanese protests this weekend, promising to protect Japanese businesses and citizens and denying that authorities had tacitly encouraged the unrest.

The official Xinhua news agency on Saturday reported that State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan, a former foreign minister, had dismissed allegations that the anti-Japanese demonstrations were backed by Beijing.

“I have to point out here that such allegations are totally groundless and a serious distortion of truth,” he said.

“China has never tried to instil such sentiments as repulsion or hatred toward Japan.”

The assurances from Mr Tang followed a government warning on Friday that the Chinese public should refrain from staging fresh protests when Japan’s foreign minister visits at the weekend.

Long-standing tensions between the countries boiled over last weekend as thousands joined anti-Japanese protests, some of which turned violent.

The situation worsened on Wednesday after Japan announced it had started procedures to allocate rights for test-drilling in a disputed area of the East China Sea.

Internet chatrooms, emails and mobile phone messages have urged people to join a new wave of protests in cities across China this weekend after thousands protested in at least four cities last Saturday and Sunday.

Demonstrators hurled rocks and eggs at Japanese diplomatic missions and attacked Japanese businesses, leading foreign missions to warn their citizens to be careful this weekend.—Reuters