Chinese Premier Meets Japanese Delegation

Chinese Premier Meets Japanese Delegation

Premier Zhu Rongji met Tuesday morning with a delegation of the Japanese Dietmen's League for Japan-China Friendship headed by its President Hayashi Yoshiro.

Zhu highly appreciated the league's effort to help realize the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, the concluding of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty, and promoting the healthy progress of bilateral ties.

He expressed the hope that the league would make further contributions to the establishment of long-term good-neighborliness between the two countries in the 21st century.

Zhu said that China and Japan face each other across the sea and their cultures are similar, and therefore the people of the two countries should enhance their mutual understanding, achieve mutual trust and friendship from generation to generation in the spirit of looking forward to the future by reviewing the past.

Yoshiro said he has witnessed the progress of bilateral ties over the past years and under the current situation, it is even more necessary for both countries to reinforce cooperation and deepen mutual trust.

Japan, happy with China's development, is willing to actively participate in China's strategy of developing its western region, he said, adding that the league warmly welcomes Premier Zhu to visit Japan and will continue to contribute to the Japan-China friendship.

The delegation is visiting China at the invitation of the China-Japan Friendship Association.