China yesterday called on Japan to cooperate in overcoming the
political obstacles to their relations.?
"We hope Japan will make joint efforts with us to overcome the
political obstacles in our relations as soon as possible and get
China-Japan relations back on the track of healthy and stable
development," Vice President Zeng Qinghong said in a meeting with Makoto
Koga, former secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic
Party.?
Sino-Japanese relations have been soured by Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine
where Japan's war dead, including 14 convicted class-A war
criminals from World War II, are honored. The shrine also hosts a
museum defending Japan's past militarism.?
But in recent months there's been increasing dialogue between
party and government officials of the two countries.?
Zeng described China and Japan as "countries with significant
influence in Asia and the world." He said developing "long-term,
stable, good-neighborly and friendly ties" served the basic
interests of the two countries and also helped promote peace,
stability and the development of Asia and the world.?
He stressed that China remained committed to dealing with
bilateral?relations at a strategic level and from a long-term
perspective.?
Calling Makoto "an old friend of the Chinese people and myself,"
Zeng thanked him for his contribution to the China-Japan
friendship. He also expressed his condolences over the death of
former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.
As one of the leaders of the seven Japan-China friendship
organizations Hashimoto paid a goodwill visit to China and met with
President Hu Jintao in March this year.?
Makoto said the friendship between Japan and China, which had
been established by older generations of leaders, should be
cherished. The new generation of politicians should shoulder the
historical responsibility for deepening and developing those
ties.??
Relations between Japan and China are in a crucial period,
Makoto said. "We should bear history in mind and make new
contributions to the continuous development of Japan-China friendly
ties," he noted.
Makoto is visiting China at the invitation of the International
Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC)?Central
Committee.
(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2006)