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China warns Japan over Taiwan activists

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Saturday urged his Japanese counterpart Masahiko Komura not to provide a forum for Taiwan's independence activists, a Japanese official said.

In a bilateral meeting in Beijing, Yang said he saw Taiwan's plans for a referendum next March on whether to seek to join the United Nations as a threat, the official said. Yang urged that Japan not provide a forum for independence activists, nor send any "wrong messages".

Komura said Japan could not support any one-sided attempt to change the current balance of power between Taiwan and China, the official said.

Japan occasionally plays host to politicians from Taiwan, seen by China as a renegade province. Presidential hopeful Ma Ying-jeou paid a goodwill visit in November, while rival Frank Hsieh plans a similar trip this month, Kyodo news agency said.

Yang and Komura were meeting ahead of a high-level economic dialogue involving six Japanese cabinet ministers and eight senior Chinese officials.