Asian foreign ministers expressed concern yesterday at a bitter spat between China and Japan, and urged the two economic powerhouses to reduce tensions they said were not good for the region. The row has overshadowed a landmark meeting of Asian and African leaders in Indonesia, with all eyes on whether Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao will hold talks on the sidelines of the event later this week.

Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said on Tuesday the two might meet, but nothing has been confirmed. Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, speaking after foreign ministers had opened talks to strengthen Asia-Africa ties, said the row was being watched across a region where many countries count Japan and China as their key trading partners. ?Any raising of tensions in our area is a matter of concern, especially when it involves China and Japan, so we hope the dialogue will continue and they will find a very satisfactory resolution,? Syed Hamid told Reuters.

?I think this will be another hotspot, another concern, another worry. It will not destabilise (Asia), but it will be a matter of serious concern.? Around 100 countries are attending a summit which marks the first move by the Third World to assert itself in world affairs. Heads of state are scheduled to meet on Friday and Saturday in Jakarta. On Sunday, they will make a nostalgic trip to Bandung, 140 km (90 miles) southeast of Jakarta.

Sino-Japanese ties are at their worst in decades, putting at risk a partnership worth $178 billion in annual trade. China has seen three weekends of violent protests against Japan. Many are angry about a revised Japanese school textbook they say whitewashes Japan?s wartime history and also oppose its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. ?I don?t think it?s good for Asia or for the world for relations between these two important countries to become too bad,? Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo told Reuters.

?(But) I think they had a good meeting recently,? Yeo said, referring to a crisis meeting this between Machimura and his Chinese counterpart in Beijing this week. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo expressed optimism the two Asian giants would patch things up. ?I think they will resolve the issue. In issues like this, it?s good to talk so that they can resolve differences among themselves,? Romulo said. ?It?s not a question of who is right or wrong. Obviously there are differences. The question is to resolve and how to resolve those differences.?

North Korea in spotlight

Ministers said the China-Japan spat was not on table at the Asia-Africa meeting, which host Indonesia hopes will bridge a gap in global relations between the two diverse continents. Other issues likely to steal the limelight at the meeting are North Korea?s nuclear crisis and a rare appearance at an international conference by Myanmar?s hardline leader, General Than Shwe.

The number-two government leaders from North and South Korea will be on hand for the summit. Addressing the opening of the ministerial meeting, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said Asia and Africa needed a concrete plan of action to address their challenges. ?As we observe the development of inter-regional cooperation in other parts of the world, there is no reason why Asia and Africa should not do likewise,? Wirajuda said. Africa looks to have more to gain from better relations with Asia than the other way round. Asia has four times Africa?s population, but its GDP is roughly 14 times Africa?s.

Dean YATES Benjamin KANG LIM

INDONESIA

Deaths rise above 700 from quake

■ The death toll from a huge earthquake that struck islands off the coast of Sumatra three weeks ago has risen to 714 and would increase, Indonesia?s disaster management agency said yesterday. The March 28 tremor, of magnitude 8.7, destroyed buildings and roads on Nias island as well as nearby Simeulue and the Banyak Islands and caused panic in a region devastated just three months earlier by an even greater earthquake and a tsunami. ?From the latest data we received last night, the number of dead is 714,? Giri Trigono, an official at the national disaster agency, told Reuters. ?There will be more,? he said.

Trigono said more than 140,000 people had been left homeless as a result of the earthquake. The previous toll had been around 670 dead. Immediately after the earthquake, officials said they feared up to 2,000 may have been killed. The United Nations, along with other relief organisations and military personnel from countries including Australia and the United States, are involved in aid operations in the area.

Relief workers on Nias say damage to roads and other infrastructure has made reaching isolated communities difficult. Many people are still sleeping in tents because of regular aftershocks. Other islanders have yet to return from the hills, where they fled fearing a tsunami, similar to the one that swept the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26, leaving hundreds of thousands dead or missing. Indonesia has been hit by increased seismic activity since the tsunami, triggered by a massive magnitude 9 earthquake. Yesterday, Mount Soputan on Sulawesi island spewed ash and rock about 200 metres (300 ft) into the air, but authorities said there was no need to evacuate nearby villages. This month, the eruption of Mount Talang on Sumatra triggered the evacuation of 26,000 people. Indonesia has 129 active volcanoes throughout the archipelago.