Exchange vital for China-Japan relations

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko said he hoped Japan and China would enhance exchanges between youths, who were the future when recalling his first visit to China in 1984 as a member of a 3,000-people delegation consisting of Japanese youths in an interview with Xinhua.

He hopes to “reach a consensus with Chinese leaders on deepening the bilateral strategic and mutually beneficial relationship” on his first visit to China since taking the office of prime minister of Japan.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to Yoshihiko Noda’s visit in China. Chinese President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao met with and had talks with Yoshihiko Noda respectively, and made it clear that China is willing to work together with Japan, continue to develop the China-Japan friendship, carefully plan and organize various celebration activities for the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries and the activities during the "Chinese-Japanese Friendly Exchange Year."

The two countries agreed to enhance political mutual trust and expand exchanges and cooperation in accordance with the principles stipulated in the four China-Japan political documents and a series of important consensuses reached by both sides and in line with the spirit of learning from history and facing up to the future. China and Japan ought to be good neighbors and partners rather than adversaries.