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Forum: Exchanges to boost Sino-Japanese ties

By Xin Wen (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-30 07:34

The third Beijing-Tokyo Forum concluded in the Chinese capital yesterday with opinion makers from both countries vowing to maintain the momentum of improved relations.

While acknowledging that problems and differences exist in bilateral ties, officials and experts pledged to deepen and broaden non-governmental exchanges to enhance mutual understanding.

"Political obstacles and public emotions have long been a cause for concern," Wang Yingfan, vice-chairman of the subcommittee of foreign affairs of the National People's Congress, told a press briefing at the conclusion of the forum.

"Efforts are needed to build confidence for fostering a new strategic relationship of mutual benefit, particularly in the political and security fields," he said.

He noted that people-to-people exchanges have played a significant role in narrowing differences.

The improvement of Sino-Japanese ties is gaining momentum, as shown in a latest survey that suggests that an increasing number of people in both countries have a "good" or "fairly good" impression of each other's countries, said Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

"But this is just the beginning. The forum is still in its infancy, and it takes time" for ordinary people of China and Japan to know each other better, he added.

Yoshito Sengoku, an official of the Japanese Democratic Party, said that China is hardly a threat to Japan; and that the two nations should move toward a "common community".

The forum, co-sponsored by Japan's Genron NPO, China Daily and Peking University, was launched in 2005 to break the stalemate in bilateral relations.