Chinese President Hu Jintao
said in Jakarta Saturday Japan should seriously reflect over its
wartime history and properly handle the current difficult situation
in the Sino-Japanese relations.
During talks with Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the sideline of the Asian-African
summit in Jakarta, Hu said some deeds by the Japanese side recently
has breached its commitment to its attitude toward its wartime
history and to the Taiwan question in addition to visits to the
notorious Yasukuni Shrine, thus falling away from the political
basis for the Sino-Japanese relations.
Earlier this month, Japan's education
ministry approved revised history textbooks, which have been
criticized by some Asian countries for distorting history and
whitewashing Japan's colonial rules and wartime atrocities. The
textbook issue triggered protests in Asian countries including
China and South Korea.
Hu said such deeds by Japan had hurt
deeply the feelings of the Chinese people and peoples of other
Asian nations, and had aroused discontent among them.
The president said both China and
Japan are countries with huge influence in Asia and across the
world, adding that soured ties are not only detrimental to the two
countries but also affect stability and development of Asia and the
world at large.
Hu said the Chinese side will not
change the guidelines of developing friendly cooperative relations
with Japan. He urged Japan to properly handle the current difficult
situation and take concrete measures to push Sino-Japanese
relations back to the track of healthy and stable development.
Hu initiated five proposals on
developing the Sino-Japanese relations.
First, the Japanese government should
strictly abide by the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, the Peace and
Friendship Treaty, and the Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration, take
specific actions to forge a friendly and cooperative relationship
with China facing the 21st century.
Secondly, the Japanese government
should regard history as a mirror reflecting on its wartime past.
The aggression by the Japanese militarists against China in the
1930s and 40s brought tremendous loss and suffering to the Chinese
people.
Remorse expressed for Japan's
aggression against China and other Asian countries should be
translated into action and no move should be made to hurt the
feelings of the Chinese people and the people of other Asian
countries again.
The Japanese side should take a
serious and conscientious attitude toward the history, and deal
with historic problems in a serious and sincere manner.
Thirdly, the Taiwan question should be
correctly handled. The issue lies in the core of China's interest,
involves the national sentiment of 1.3 billion Chinese people.
China hopes the Japanese side will fulfill its commitments by
demonstrating through concrete actions its adherence to the
one-China policy and opposition to Taiwan independence.
Fourthly, differences between the two
nations need to be resolved through dialogues and peaceful
negotiations. The two governments should actively work together to
protect the relations from being hurt again.
Fifthly, the two countries should
further strengthen communication and cooperation in various areas,
encourage friendly contacts and activities between the two peoples,
so as to further increase understanding and broaden mutual
benefits, pushing the Sino-Japanese relations forward in a healthy
and stable pace.
For his part, Koizumi stressed the
importance of the development of Sino-Japanese friendship, saying
it is not only beneficial to China and Japan, but also has great
influence in Asia and the international community.
The rapid development of China is a
chance rather than a threat to Japan and this has gradually been
accepted by more and more Japanese people, he said.
The prime minister said Japan will
take vigorous actions to promote the friendly cooperative
relationship between China and Japan in the spirit of President
Hu's five proposals.
On the questions of history and
Taiwan, Koizumi said the Japanese government will adhere to the
principles laid out in the three documents signed between Japan and
China and his government's stance has been maintained without any
change.
Koizumi said he fully agreed with
President Hu's proposal on resolving all the disputes between the
two countries through dialogue.
At the end of the closed door talks,
President Hu expressed his hope that the two countries will regard
the meeting as a turning point and take feasible measures to solve
disagreements, surmount difficulties and make joint efforts to push
the bilateral relation to develop healthily and steadily.
(Xinhua News Agency April 24,
2005)