As Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's scheduled visit to Japan in April
approaches, a favorable atmosphere is being created for the visit,
the first of its kind in seven years.
"China is ready to make joint efforts with Japan to promote
healthy and steady development of China-Japan relations," Chinese
President Hu Jintao told visiting Hidenao Nakagawa,
secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Kazuo
Kitagawa, secretary general of the ruling coalition partner New
Komeito on Friday afternoon.
Nakagawa and Kazuo Kitagawa arrived in Beijing Thursday for a
five-day visit to China.
Hu said that the two countries should continuously enhance
political trust, properly handle sensitive issues and work for a
mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic
interests.
Nakagawa told Hu Japan holds that China, who is seeking to build
a harmonious society and become an economic power, is not a threat
to Japan, and Japan, who is striving to become a political power,
poses no threat to China.
Nakagawa called the consensus of building a strategic and
mutually beneficial relationship a "wise decision" made by the two
countries' leaders, saying the Japanese ruling parties are ready to
make joint efforts with the Chinese side to push bilateral
relations toward common strategic goals.
Before Nakagawa and Kazuo Kitagawa came to China, Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe told them he hoped their trip to China would
help create a sound environment for Premier Wen's visit to
Japan.
Abe also asked them to deliver a letter to President Hu.
Premier Wen described on Friday at a press conference his
planned visit to Japan in April as an "ice-melting journey" for the
bilateral relations, after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's
"ice-breaking journey" to China last October.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the normalization of
China-Japan relations and is also the Year of Cultural and Sports
Exchanges between them.
Hu said the two events provide important opportunities for the
development of bilateral relations.
Hu suggested China and Japan strengthen trade and economic
cooperation, and expand exchanges in the fields of culture, sports
and science and technology, so as to bring about real benefits for
the two peoples and lay a solid foundation for the friendship
between the two countries for generations.
"The two countries should strengthen contacts and coordination
on regional and international issues to jointly face regional and
global tasks and challenges, and jointly strive to build a
harmonious world featuring lasting peace and common prosperity,"
said Hu.
Kitagawa said this year is an important period for Japan-China
relations. "Japan hopes to expand exchanges, contacts and
cooperation through unremitting joint efforts to promote the
friendship between Japan and China in a new era," he said.
First Meeting Under China, Japan Ruling Parties'
Exchange Mechanism Starts
(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2007)
