China's top diplomat calls for joint work to promote stable, lasting China-Japan ties

BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- China and Japan should work together to promote stable, lasting bilateral relations, and to uphold regional and international peace and stability, Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, said on Wednesday.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks in a video speech at the 20th Beijing-Tokyo Forum.

Wang noted that China and Japan have an exchange history of more than 2,000 years, and that it has been over 50 years since the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. A China-Japan relationship with the right development direction is not only of great and positive significance to both countries and their peoples, but also to the peace and development of the region and the world, he said.

Both sides should be guided by the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to the original aspirations of relations, follow the right path, seek common ground, and coordinate actions, all with the aim of promoting stable, lasting bilateral relations, Wang said.

He said that the two sides should understand the correct positioning of bilateral relations. China has always regarded Japan as an important cooperation partner, and hopes that Japan can view China's development objectively and rationally. He also hopes that Japan will work with China to follow the correct positioning of the comprehensive advancement of the strategic, mutually beneficial relations between China and Japan, and implement the important consensus that the two countries should be cooperative partners and should not pose a threat to each other.

The two sides should maintain the political foundations of bilateral relations. The four political documents between China and Japan have laid the political and legal foundations for bilateral relations, and they should not be blurred, retrogressed or undermined, Wang said.

China and Japan need to promote an open strategy of mutual benefits. Both sides should cherish their cooperation space and common interests that have already been established, and work together to maintain the stability and smooth operations of the global free trade system and industrial and supply chains, Wang added.

He also called on the two countries to uphold regional and international peace and stability. In the face of rising unilateralism and protectionism, China and Japan need to work in tandem to safeguard Asian unity and cooperation to prevent external forces from fomenting confrontation.

It is hoped that the Beijing-Tokyo Forum will continue to promote candid exchange, build consensus, provide suggestions for China-Japan relations, and make new contributions to the development of China-Japan relations that meet the requirements of the new era, he said.

Launched in 2005, the Beijing-Tokyo Forum is an annual event held alternately in Beijing and Tokyo. The forum is a high-level, large-scale, interactive exchange platform between the two countries.