President Chen Haosu Leads CPAFFC Delegation to Japan

Invited by the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association (JCCEA) of Japan, a 10-member CPAFFC delegation led by President Chen Haosu paid a visit to Japan from April 5 to 14. While in Japan, the delegation visited Tokyo, Okinawa, Kagoshima and Fukuoka, attended the reception marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the JCCEA and had extensive contact with personages of the political, economic, cultural and other circles, exchanging in-depth views with them on the development and improvement of bilateral relations and the further strengthening of cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Attending Reception Celebrating JCCEA’s 50th Anniversary

The reception in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the JCCEA was held in Tokyo on the evening of April 6. Ryutaro Hashimoto, former Japanese prime minister and president of the Japanese Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Hiromu Nonaka, honorary adviser to the Japan-China Friendship Association (JCFA), Yoshiro Hayashi, president of the Japan-China Friendship Centre, and Takashi Tsujii and Senji Kuroi, president and director general of the JCCEA, among about 500 people of all walks of life, attended the reception. CPAFFC President Chen Haosu and JCCEA President Takashi Tsujii addressed the reception on behalf of the Chinese and Japanese side respectively.

Chen Haosu expressed congratulations to the JCCEA on its 50th anniversary and spoke highly of the great contributions it has made over the past half a century to enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples and cultural exchanges between the two countries. He especially talked about the important speech on improving and developing China-Japan relations President Hu Jitao made not long ago when he met with heads of the seven Japan-China friendship organizations and emphasized that President Hu pointed out that China-Japan relations are one of the important bilateral relations in today's world and that the Chinese government has always looked at China-Japan relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and has made unremitting efforts to improve and develop bilateral ties. Taking a highly responsible attitude toward history, the people and the future, President Hu put forward suggestions on improving bilateral political relations and pointed out a feasible way for the current bilateral relations to get out of difficulties.

Chen Haosu called on nongovernmental organizations of the two countries to cooperate closely, carry forward the friendship tradition, and work hard to build mutual understanding and trust and push for the comprehensive cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields between the two countries by “promoting trust through cultural exchanges”, “promoting political relations through economic and trade contact” and “promoting official ties through people-to-people contact” so that our two peoples would enjoy peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

JCEEA President Takashi Tsujii said, since its founding, the JCCEA has taken promoting friendship between the two peoples and developing cultural exchanges between the two countries as its tasks. Half a century has gone by. Times have changed, but this goal of the JCCEA has never changed. At present, due to Japan’s misunderstanding of history, cracks have appeared in Japan-China relations and a trust crisis is emerging between the two peoples. Without mutual understanding there will be no mutual trust and hard to develop true friendship. Friendship between Japan and China is in the fundamental interests of the two peoples and important to the maintenance of peace and stability in Asia and the world. Cultural exchange is the basis for building mutual understanding and trust between the two peoples. We should continue to strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation between our two countries and work hard to improve bilateral relations. Carrying on the behests of its previous leaders and taking its 50th anniversary as an opportunity, the JCCEA will, as always, devote its energy to the promotion of cultural exchanges between our two countries and mutual understanding between our two peoples.

Meeting with Personages of Various Circles

During its stay in Japan, the delegation called on Yohei Kono, speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives, Kenji Kosaka, minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, Katsutoshi Kaneda, vice foreign minister, Hiromasa Ikeda, deputy general director of Soka Gakkai, Masao Shimizu, director general of the Matsuyama Ballet, Ryoki Sugita, president of Japan Economic News, Akio Yamaguchi, manager of Iwanami Book Store, Keiichi Inamine, governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Yuichiro Ito, governor of Kagoshima Prefecture, Hiroyuki Mori, mayor of Kagoshima, and others. During these meetings, President Chen Haosu stated China’s policy towards Japan and expressed that personages of various circles in China hope to make joint efforts with the Japanese side to further strengthen people-to-people friendly exchanges between China and Japan. He said, in recent years the repeated visits by the Japanese leader to the Yasukuni Shine where class A criminals of WWII are honoured beset bilateral relations with difficulties. But China has not changed its basic principle and policy of China-Japan friendship. President Hu Jintao has clearly pointed out the objectives of developing bilateral relations: “peaceful coexistence, lasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development”. The Chinese Government’s stance is rational and respects morality and justice. While giving consideration to the feelings of the Chinese people, it also fully respects the wishes of the Japanese people.

Yohei Kono said that the fact that not long ago President Hu Jintao made an important speech when meeting with heads of seven Japan-China friendship organizations showed the wish of the Chinese side to improve and develop Sino-Japanese relations, which is of great significance. The pity is the Japanese media did not give full coverage of President Hu’s speech. The election of president of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party will be held in September this year. The next Japanese leader should pay great attention to its diplomacy in Asia and properly handle Japan’s relations with its neighbouring countries. Katsutoshi Kaneda pointed out, friendship between Japan and China is the basis of Japan’s foreign policy towards China. Japan has not changed its stand-point of attaching great importance to Japan-China relations. Japan and China should become friendly partners and develop mutually beneficial cooperation. The two countries should further strengthen people-to-people contact, especially between the youth of the two countries in the future so as to promote bilateral ties to develop continously.

When talking with friendly personages of various circles, Chen Haosu said, cultural exchanges between China and Japan have existed for over 2,000 years. The cultures of both countries belong to oriental civilization and have successively absorbed the achievements of western civilization. The two countries have many similarities in their cultures. Cultural exchange facilitates the communication of feelings between the two peoples and enhances mutual affinity so that bilateral political relations will be improved. In the days to come, the two countries should carry out cultural exchange activities in various forms to increase mutual understanding and trust between the two peoples so as to achieve the goal of promoting trust through cultural exchange.