Chinese president Hu Jintao said in Beijing on Friday
that the seven Japan-China friendship organizations based in Japan, which are
making a concerted China visit, are the "backbone forces" in promoting the
friendliness between the two countries.
These organizations serve as an
"important bridge" for non-governmental exchange between the two countries and
have done a lot of "helpful work" for the normalization of diplomatic ties and
the promotion of friendliness between the two countries, said the president
while meeting the heads of the organizations at the Great Hall of the People in
downtown Beijing.
Noting that China-Japan relations are in a difficult
period for the time being, Hu said that the Japanese organizations' current
visit and their exchange and dialogue with relevant Chinese bodies have
displayed the "benign wish" of the two peoples to improve bilateral relations.
The visit will contribute to shoring up mutual understanding, friendship
and relations between the two countries, said the president.
The seven
organizations, which have come as the guests of the China-Japan Friendship
Association, are namely the Japanese Council for the Promotion of International
Trade, Association of Dietmen League for Japan-China Friendship, Japan-China
Friendship Association, Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association, Japan-China
Association on Economy and Trade, Japan-China Society, and Japan-China
Friendship Center.
The heads of the organizations include former
Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and former Foreign Minister Masahiko
Komura.
"This visit signifies the positive attitude China takes on promoting Sino-Japanese friendly exchange and cooperation," Qin Gang, a spokesman
of the foreign ministry, said on Thursday.
During their three-day visit, Japanese guests will exchange views with people
in charge of relevant organizations from the Chinese side on how to increase
non-governmental exchanges and promote the growth of bilateral relations.
Sino-Japanese ties were soured by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated
visits to a shrine honoring convicted World War II war criminals.
The heads of the two neighboring countries have not exchanged visits for over
four years, ever since Koizumi began paying homage at the controversial war
shrine after he took office in 2001.
Non-governmental ties, a crucial aspect of Sino-Japanese relations, are
considered very important by the Chinese leadership.
"We should strengthen people-to-people exchanges and enhance mutual
understanding and trust," Premier Wen Jiabao told a press conference after the
National People's Congress.
In the past, China and Japan succeeded in promoting bilateral relations
through non-governmental exchanges, recalled Feng Zhaokui, a researcher with the
prestigious Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Now it is imperative to boost
people-to-people exchanges to mend the Sino-Japanese ties beset with great
difficulties."