Top Chinese diplomat calls for joint work to promote stable, lasting ties between China and Japan

China and Japan should work together to promote stable and lasting bilateral relations and uphold regional and international peace and stability, said Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, on Wednesday.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, made the remarks in a video speech at the 20th Beijing-Tokyo Forum.

Wang noted that China and Japan have a history of exchanges spanning more than 2,000 years and that it has been more than 50 years since the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. A China-Japan relationship with the right direction of development is not only of great and positive importance for both countries and their people, but also for the peace and development of the region and the world, he said.

Both sides should be guided by the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to the original aspirations of relations, follow the right path, seek common ground and coordinate actions, all with the aim of promoting stable and lasting bilateral relations, said Wang .

He said both sides should understand the correct positioning of bilateral relations. China has always regarded Japan as an important cooperation partner and hopes that Japan can view its development objectively and rationally. He also hopes that Japan will work with China to follow the correct stance of comprehensively advancing strategic and mutually beneficial relations between the two countries, and implement the important consensus that the two countries should be cooperative partners and should not pose a threat to one another. to the other.

Both sides must maintain the political foundations of bilateral relations. The four political documents between China and Japan have laid the political and legal foundations for bilateral relations and should not be blurred, rolled back or undermined, Wang said.

China and Japan need to promote an open strategy of mutual benefit. Both sides should value their cooperation space and common interests that have already been established, and work together to maintain the stability and smooth functioning of the global free trade system and global industrial and supply chains, Wang added.

He also called on the two countries to uphold regional and international peace and stability. Faced with growing unilateralism and protectionism, China and Japan need to work together to safeguard Asian unity and cooperation to prevent external forces from fomenting confrontation.

The Beijing-Tokyo Forum is expected to continue to promote candid exchanges, build consensus, provide suggestions for China-Japan relations and make new contributions to the development of China-Japan relations that meet the requirements of the new era, he said.

Launched in 2005, the Beijing-Tokyo Forum is an annual event held alternately in the two cities. It is an interactive, high-level and large-scale exchange platform between the two countries.

Source: Xinhua