The upcoming visit to Japan of the Chinese People's Liberation
Army (PLA)'s navy missile destroyer "Shenzhen" will be a very
significant event and the military exchange is conducive to
building mutual trust between the two countries, said Japanese
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday.
It is important for politicians of the two countries to have
political communications, however, the exchange between the Chinese
PLA and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) is also important,
Ishiba said during an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
Ishiba said serviceman share the same way of thinking, and their
building of mutual trust through exchanges and topic discussions is
important for the maintenance of peace.
The first-ever visit to Japan by a PLA navy warship will be a
memorable start, the defense minister said.
The mutual trust between countries is actually the accumulation
of trust between the two peoples, Ishiba said, adding that he hopes
Chinese soldiers will have meaningful exchange with their Japanese
SDF counterparts, get to know more about the current Japan society,
and have a nice impression on Japan.
Ishiba said he doesn't regard China as a military threat to
Japan. "The two countries should strengthen defense communications
in the future to eliminate misunderstanding and build up a
relationship in which different opinions could be thoroughly
discussed," he said.
Ishiba said it is important for the two countries to expand
military exchanges. "Japan's SDF warship is to pay visit to China
following the PLA navy warship's Japan visit," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2007)
