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Chinese President Meets Japanese Guests
Chinese President Jiang Zemin met Yoshiro Hayashi, president of the Association of Dietmen League for Japan-China Friendship, Thursday at the Great Hall of the People to discuss how each side will view their painful shared history.
Yoshiro Hayashi said that Japan and China are very important close neighbors, and bilateral relations should develop forward in accordance with the basic principles in the Japan-China Joint Statement, the two sides should look forward and strengthen cooperation on the basis of a right attitude toward history, and the League is willing to do its part in this respect.
He said that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has not long ago published talks on the issue of history, which stressed that during the past historical period, Japan practiced colonial rule and invaded its Asian neighbors as a result of erroneous state policies, leading the targeted countries to unspeakable loss and suffering. Even today, many people from these countries still feel the pain, he said.
He said that the Japanese side is willing to accept this shameful history in a humble way and will self-examine its actions closely, and expressed heartfelt condolences to all those died in the war.
He said that the Japanese side is extremely attentive to Japan- China relations, and hopes that bilateral relations will be quickly rehabilitated and developed. President Jiang said that 30 years ago, the politicians of both China and Japan showed great foresight and had the best interests of the two peoples in mind when they formed normal diplomatic relations and signed the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement.
In 1978 the two countries signed the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship, and published the Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration in 1998 when Jiang was visiting Japan. All of these documents have clearly explained the historical issues and constitute the political basis for Sino-Japanese relations.
He said that the facts of history cannot be denied or forgotten. To develop Sino-Japanese friendship, he has always believed in " learning from history and looking into the future," and this principle should be followed to develop bilateral relations.
He said that the Chinese people are generous and hope that the friendship between China and Japan will be carried on from generation to generation -- but for that to happen, history must be treated correctly.
The Chinese are reasonable, he said. They have always held that the responsibility of the Japanese invasion of China should be borne by the Japanese military, not the Japanese people, he pointed out.
And the Chinese are objective, he noted. The two countries have long history of exchanges, and Sino-Japanese friendship is the mainstay of bilateral relations, he said, adding, however, they will never forget that period of history when their countrymen suffered so bitterly.
He continued that the war of aggression against China launched by the Japanese military was the worst catastrophe suffered by the Chinese nation since the Opium War. The Chinese people will never allow such action to happen again, he stressed.
The Chinese president said China pays attention to historical issues in order to protect the political basis for Sino-Japanese relations and ensure healthy development of bilateral relations.
Japan should acknowledge historical facts and learn lessons from them, he said. The country should oppose any words or actions that whitewash the truth of the invasion and hurt the feelings of the peoples from the countries that were victims, he said, adding that Japan should adopt practical actions to contribute to the healthy development of bilateral relations.
Jiang said that Sino-Japanese friendship did not come easily; the former generations of the two countries made painstaking efforts to achieve it, and it should be cherished.
Now, the responsibility of the politicians from the two countries is to stay on the rightful course and pass on the truth to future generation, so that they can carry on the tradition of friendship.
Hayashi said that President Jiang's words are very important, and the Japanese side agrees with the principle of "learning from history and looking into the future."
Japan will properly handle historical issues so as to develop bilateral friendship, Hayashi said.
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