Restoration of China-Japan trust requires sustained efforts: Chinese premier

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with a Japanese delegation from major Japanese enterprises in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 21, 2017. The delegation was headed by Chair of the Japan Business Federation Sadayuki Sakakibara, President of the Japan-China Association on Economy and Trade Shoji Muneoka, and Chair of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Akio Mimura. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday voiced hope that Japan's business community will continue to work for the improvement and development of Sino-Japanese relations.

Li made the remarks while meeting with a Japanese delegation of more than 250 business leaders from major Japanese enterprises.

The delegation was led by Chair of the Japan Business Federation Sadayuki Sakakibara, President of the Japan-China Association on Economy and Trade Shoji Muneoka, and Chair of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Akio Mimura.

The healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations accords with the common interests of both sides, said Premier Li.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China -Japan diplomatic relations, and next year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

The key to improving China-Japan relations is mutual trust and the foundation lies in the friendship of the two peoples, said Li.

Trust may be impaired because of a certain incident at a time, but its reconstruction requires sustained efforts by all walks of life, said the premier.

He hoped that both sides could cherish and consolidate the positive momentum of improvement in China-Japan relations and push the bilateral ties forward and along the right track.

The development of Sino-Japanese relations can not be separated from the promotion of economic and trade cooperation, said Li, hoping that Japanese business community would carry forward their fine traditions and exert their own influence to boost exchanges in humanities, youth and local affairs so that peace, friendship and cooperation will become the consensus of all walks of life in Japan over the general direction of the Sino-Japanese relations.

He urged concerted efforts to promote the stable and long-term development of relations on the basis of the four political documents signed by both countries and in the spirit of drawing lessons from history and facing up to the future.

Li briefed the Japanese business leaders on the current economic situation in China.

Noting that China's economy will continue to maintain a stable and positive trend, Li said China will further expand its opening up to the outside world and provide non-discriminatory and fair business environment to Chinese and foreign enterprises.

He hoped that China and Japan will truly regard the other's development as each other's opportunities, giving full play to their complementary advantages and advancing their development through innovative cooperation, so as to achieve reciprocal and win-win results and serve the building of the East Asian economic community.

China and Japan should work together to safeguard economic globalization, speed up the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and free trade area talks between China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, so as to contribute to the stability and prosperity of the region and the world, said Li.

Japanese business leaders welcomed the positive momentum of improvement in Japan-China ties.

Given achievements made in China's economic restructuring, they expressed confidence in strengthening economic and trade cooperation with China.

While noting that Japan-China cooperation has great potential, the Japanese business leaders believed Japan and China can achieve mutual benefit through enhanced economic cooperation and make contribution to the economic growth in Asia and the world.

They hoped that negotiations on Japan-China-ROK free trade area and the RCEP will produce desired outcomes, striving to build an open international economic and trade system.

The Japanese business leaders were also confident that this year and the next bode important opportunities for improving and growing Japan-China ties, and pledged to continue making unremitting efforts in increasing exchange and cooperation between the two countries.