A senior official told the first Beijing-Tokyo Forum today that
mutual respect should guide Japan-China relations.
The prerequisite for resolving current issues "lies in one word
- respect. Respect for oneself and the other, respect for interests
and truth, respect for history and future, " said Chen Haosu,
president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with
Foreign Countries.
Jointly organized by China Daily, Peking University and Japan's
Genron NPO, the forum started in Beijing today with over 60 Chinese
and Japanese officials and experts attending and is to be an annual
event.
Chen refuted accusations that China promotes anti-Japanese
education, and said that despite 35 million Chinese being killed in
WWII, some Japanese denied atrocities and said they launched the
war to "liberate the Asian people," which was sure to arouse
anger.
Chen said China aims to make young people aware of the
historical lesson that being backward means being bullied and to
inspire them to build a strong nation.
He urged the Japanese government to reflect on history and
blamed the current stalemate in relations on Japanese denial of its
military past.
Chen said China distinguishes war criminals from ordinary
Japanese people in history lessons, pointing out that?the
latter?were also victimized by the war.
He called on both sides to join hands in promoting ties, saying
that only by doing so can they maximize their common interests.
The event's organizers conducted surveys among 3,500 college
students and professionals in each country from May to August.
Half of the Chinese college students surveyed said they wanted
to make friends with their Japanese peers, though 62.9 percent said
they do not have a positive opinion of Japan.
59.9 percent of Japanese respondents listed relations with the
US as Japan's most important foreign ties.
(China Daily August 23, 2005)