Chinese Premier Meets Japanese LDP Guests ����Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji met with a Japanese parliamentarian delegation led by Yamazaki Taku, former chairman of the Political Affairs Investigation Committee of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in Beijing on the afternoon of January 7. ����Zhu, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said that the CPC and the Chinese government have always attached importance to the development of Sino-Japanese relations. ����He reminded the guests that Chinese President Jiang Zemin paid an historic and successful visit to Japan last December. ����"In line with using history as a mirror and looking forward to the future, Jiang and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi reached important consensus and jointly issued a statement which confirmed the ongoing efforts for the establishment of a Sino-Japanese friendly and cooperative partnership incorporating peace and development," he said. ����In Zhu's view, the statement is the third important document in the continuing bilateral relations following the China-Japan Joint Declaration and China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty, which "set the benchmark and the direction for Sino-Japanese relations and marked the beginning of a new phase of bilateral ties." ����He said he believed that as long as the state leaders and statemen in both China and Japan strictly observed the principles and spirit contained in the three documents and properly handled existing and emerging problems, a healthy and stable China-Japan relationship can move forward into the 21st century. ����On the relations between the CPC and the LDP, Zhu considered that the deepening exchanges between the political parties and statemen in the two countries played an important role in developing state-to-state relations and enhancing the friendship of the two peoples, adding that previous experience helped the two countries to further their exchanges. ����Yamazaki said that the successful visit paid by Jiang had pushed forward bilateral relations into a new stage of development. ����He considered that the construction of future-oriented Japan-China relations is "vital for both countries." ����He praised China's speedy economic growth and China's contribution to the Asian economy as a whole, adding that Japan hoped to continue efforts to enhance Japan-China economic cooperation." Japan intends to play its due part in China's economic development," he said. ����Zhu also briefed the guests on China's economic situation. ����Dai Bingguo, head of International Department of the CPC Central Committee, held talks with Yamazaki on Wednesday. ����Yamazaki and the LDP delegation came to China at the invitation of the CPC. ���� HomeNews 1999-01-08 Page1