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Chinese Senior Official Stresses Sino-Japanese Ties
China has always attached great importance to developing ties with Japan and treasured the long-standing neighborly friendship with the Japanese people, a senior Chinese official said in Tokyo Thursday.
Zhao Qizheng, minister of the Information Office of China's State Council, made the remarks while delivering a speech at a symposium on the future of Asia, which opened in Tokyo earlier in the day.
"Viewing the history of Sino-Japanese relations, in spite of the setbacks and unhappiness of the past, over the last 50 years, the main trend has been good neighborly relations between the peoples of the two countries," Zhao said.
He attributed the hard-won Sino-Japanese relations to efforts of the two peoples, far-sighted politicians of the two countries and people from all walks of life.
"The friendly and cooperative relations between China and Japan not only embody the friendship between the two peoples, but also successfully display the healthy relations between the two countries based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence," he said.
Zhao also said the two countries should further promote the steady development of Sino-Japanese relations based on the basic principle of "looking into the future while drawing lessons from history."
On China's ties with Asian countries, Zhao said, "As a country in Asia, China is greatly concerned about its economic relations and friendship with other countries in Asia."
Noting that bilateral trade volume between China and other Asian countries increased remarkably over the past 20 years, Zhao said China has benefited from trade, while at the same time it has greatly promoted the development of the Asian economy by providing a large market for other Asian nations.
Talking about China's bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), Zhao expressed the belief that China's opening-up will reach a new level after its entry into the world trade body.
"Joining the WTO is an important embodiment of China's active participation in economic globalization, and will inject new vitality into the further development of economic globalization," he said.
Zhao briefed the participants on China's great achievements made in the past 20 years since the adoption of reform and opening up policy.
To develop economy needs a peaceful international environment, he said, adding that China, which has been devoted to world peace and stability, will continue its efforts with other countries to establish a new, just, reasonable and equal international order on the basis of mutual-benefit.
The annual symposium, sixth of its kind, is sponsored by Japan's leading economic daily, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
Asian leaders present at the two-day conference included Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
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