On the afternoon of January 12, Tang Jiaxuan, honorary advisor to the China-Japan Friendship Association (CJFA), met with Koichi Kato, former Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party and President of the Japan-China Friendship Association (JCFA), and his party at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing. CPAFFC Vice President Jing Dunquan was present at the meeting. Tang spoke highly of the important contributions made by JCFA, one of the first and the most influential non-governmental friendship-with- China organizations in Japan, to the rebuilding, improvement and development of postwar bilateral relations. Last year, however, the relations experienced turbulence and the feelings of the two peoples were seriously hurt, which was worrisome. The highly sensitive Diaoyu Islands issue is a hidden trouble. The two sides should, resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation in line with the spirit of the consensus reached by leaders of the older generation. The key was to act prudently in this disputed maritime area and not to actunilaterally to further aggravate tensions.
　　 Recently, leaders of the two countries had met and contacted each other on many occasions and reached an important consensus on improving and developing the bilateral relations. History proved that China and Japan had much to gain from peaceful coexistence and a great deal to lose through conflicts. In the context that the international and regional situation is undergoing profound changes, two such influential countries as China and Japan should join hands and cooperate for common development and make concerted efforts to ensure that peace, friendship and cooperation formed the mainstream of their relations to contribute to peace and stability in Asia and the world.
　　 The year 2011 was a very important year in Sino-Japanese relations offering both opportunities and challenges; on the whole, opportunities outweighed challenges, Tang said. We should have confidence in the prospects, work together to build consensus, promote the development towards a higher level and greet the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations. The two sides should make active efforts and make due contribution in the following two aspects:
　　 First, the two countries should enhance political mutual trust. Not long ago, the Japanese Government released the new National Defense Program Guideline, alleging China’s military development and lack of transparency were of “concern” to the regional and global community. Some Japanese politicians, think tanks and scholars unwilling to abandon the old Cold War mentality took the opportunity to play up the so-called “China threat” and advocated that Japan should work together with its allies to “regulate”, “balance”, “restrain” and “contain” China. This was a serious strategic misjudgment arousing great concern of the Chinese people and public opinion.
　　 During his visit to Japan in 2008, President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda issued the China-Japan Joint Statement on All-round Promotion of Strategic Relationship of Mutual Benefit. The two sides confirmed that China and Japan were close neighbors and cooperation partners with neither side posing any threat to the other and that they would support each other’s peaceful development. These are the core contents of the fourth political document guiding the development of relations between China and Japan. The two sides should earnestly implement this spirit into practice and genuinely materialize the concept of win-win cooperation in each other’s policies.
　　 Second, the two countries should increase people-to-people contacts and expand cultural exchanges. The friendship between the two countries is based on the friendship between the two peoples as the foundation of Sino-Japanese relations. The nongovernmental organizations of the two countries should cooperate closely and carry out all forms of effective activities to make due contributions to smooth sound development of Sino-Japanese relations, and create a good atmosphere for celebration of the 40th anniversary of the normalization.
　　 Koichi Kato agreed that, last year Japan-China relations had encountered difficulties due to the “boat collision incident”, which severely affected the feelings of the people of the two countries and this was a source of deep regret and worry. Territorial issues which could trigger serious disputes should be handled cautiously. He recalled that, while working at foreign affairs ministry, I also encountered the Senkaku Islands (the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands) issue. But, it did not cause much trouble in bilateral relations for the statesmen of the day handled it with political wisdom. Forty years have passed. The political wisdom of the statesmen of the older generation seems more precious today. After the incident, many Japanese were apprehensive about China. So, the JCFA should make efforts to improve and develop Japan-China relations by giving play to its advantages, coordinate closely with relevant Chinese organizations and carry out richer and more colorful activities.
　　 During its three-day stay, the 10-member JCFA delegation was also entertained by State Councilor Dai Bingguo and CPAFFC President Chen Haosu. It also paid an official call on Wu Dawei, Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Korean Peninsula Affairs, and exchanged views on issues of common concern.