The official visit to Japan and the ROK paid by Premier Zhu


Rongji is an important diplomatic move taken by China towards the two close East Asian neighbors at the turn of the century. During the visit, Premier Zhu held formal talks with Japanese Prime Minister Mori and ROK President Kim Dae-jung, had extensive contacts with people from all walks of life in the two countries and a candid and in-depth exchange of views on further developing China-Japan and China-ROK friendly relations and cooperation and reached wide consensus. During the visit, Premier Zhu attended ASEM III and put forward, facing the world China's initiatives and proposals on deepening Asia-Europe cooperation. The visit is conducted in a down-to-earth, smooth and successful manner and has achieved expected goals.


I The main purpose of the visit to Japan is to, based upon the historic visit to Japan by President Jiang Zemin in 1998, further enhance trust, clear up doubts and deepen cooperation so as to push the bilateral relations to progress in the direction of developing the partnership of friendly cooperation dedicated to peace and development.


The visit to Japan has achieved the follows results:


1) Consolidated the political basis of bilateral relations. Premier Zhu fully elaborated China's policy of attaching importance to developing relations with Japan on all occasions available. In view of the current situation in bilateral relations and new changes in regional and international situation, Premier Zhu emphasized that the Chinese and Japanese sides should continue to stick to the principles set in the three political documents guiding China-Japan relations, namely, China-Japan Joint Statement, China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship and China-Japan Joint Declaration, adhere to the overall interests of good-neighborly friendly cooperation, and persist in the general direction of friendly and cooperative partnership. Prime Minister Mori and other major political party leaders in Japan made positive responses, emphasizing China is the most important close neighbor of Japan and Japan-China friendship is the fundamental and overall interests. Premier Zhu pointed out that the key to maintaining the political basis of China-Japan relations is to handle properly the issues of history and Taiwan. On the issue of history, the Chinese side holds the attitude to "regard history as a mirror and face the future." Any words and deeds with an attempt to bypass, talk lightly of or even to distort the history is wrong. It is hoped that Japan would take concrete measures to view history correctly, draw lessons from it, and continue to stick to the correct road of peace and development. The Japanese people of various circles, either in or out of government, agreed on developing China-Japan relations in the spirit of "regarding history as a mirror and facing the future." The two sides have reached important consensus on this, which facilitates the proper handling of historic issues between the two countries in the future and consolidates the political basis of China-Japan relations.


2) Enhanced mutual understanding. During the visit, Premier Zhu reiterated on many occasions that the mainstream of China-Japan relations is good, but problems do exist. He emphasized repeatedly the importance and urgency of further enhancing mutual understanding and trust and proposed a series of measures in that regard. The two sides have agreed to open a hotline between the two governments, strengthen and expand the bilateral security dialogue mechanism, conduct mutual visits by warships and make efforts to enhance mutual understanding. Premier Zhu also made extensive contacts with both the government and the public in Japan. In particular, he had a face-to-face dialogue with the Japanese people, enumerating facts and elaborating reasons, taking all kinds of questions from the Japanese public, which produced good results. People to people friendship is the basis of China-Japan relations. Premier Zhu expressed the hope that all friendly groups should inherit and carry on the tradition of people-to-people friendship. According to the new circumstances, more work should be done to promote mutual understanding between the two peoples, especially enhancing the exchanges between the younger generations of the two countries. As regards the doubts about China's development inside Japan, Premier Zhu emphasized that China cannot and will not pose a threat to Japan, citing facts and figures, and that China-Japan friendship conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples. Japanese Foreign Minister expressed that Premier Zhu's visit to Japan helped the Japanese people to know more about the importance of China-Japan relations and strengthen their commitment to China-Japan friendship.


3) Promoted mutually beneficial cooperation. Premier Zhu briefed the Japanese government and business community on China's latest development strategy and the important juncture in the economy at present, pointing out new key areas in strengthening China-Japan economic cooperation. Reacting to the Japanese side's concern about the improvement of the investment environment in China, Premier Zhu made a careful and meticulous explanation and pushed relevant sides to solve some concrete issues, building the confidence of the Japanese business community in expanding cooperation with China. Premier Zhu also inspected a robot-making company and magnetic suspension experiment center, traveled on Shinkansen, and conducted a field inspection of the hi-tech development in Japan. The two sides agreed that there are more opportunities for development in bilateral economic cooperation and trade and new areas and channels should be actively explored so as to bring it to a new level. The Japanese side expressed its continued support for China's reform and opening up and modernization drive and committed to the expanding and deepening of the bilateral cooperation in China's western development, environmental and ecological protection, and electronics and other hi-tech areas.


II Premier Zhu's visit to the ROK took place after a turn in the situation on the Korean Peninsula. His visit focused mainly on two aspects:


1) To express China's firm stance of supporting North-South reconciliation and independent and peaceful reunification. Premier Zhu emphasized that the Chinese side spoke highly of the political decision-making and important contribution of the top leaders of both the North and South in holding the summit. He stressed that China welcomes and supports the North and South to improve relations, ease tension and conduct exchanges and cooperation. He also emphasized that China, as the largest neighbor of the Korean Peninsula, sincerely hopes that the North-South reconciliation process will develop forward and resolutely supports the independent and peaceful reunification on the Peninsula. The government and public of the ROK commended highly China's consistent support of the North and South to improve relations and its endeavor to maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula and expressed their heartfelt thanks. Premier Zhu also said that the Chinese side welcomes the improvement of relations between the DPRK and the US, Japan, and other countries. The two sides expressed the willingness to promote the establishment of a peace mechanism on the Peninsula. The visit has further promoted the ROK's understanding and trust of China's policy towards the Korean Peninsula.


2) To promote China-ROK cooperative partnership into a new stage of all-round cooperation. During the 8 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the ROK, bilateral relations have developed rapidly. In particular, President Jiang Zemin and Kim Dae-jung jointly declared in 1998 the establishment of China-ROK cooperative partnership oriented towards the 21st century, which points out the direction for the future development of bilateral relations. Premier Zhu emphasized on many occasions that his visit to the ROK is to further promote China-ROK friendly relations and cooperation in this direction. The ROK side fully agreed with the Chinese side on its views about bilateral relations. They said that to strengthen bilateral relations is in the interests of the two peoples and hoped to further deepen exchanges and cooperation with China. The two sides agreed to raise China-ROK cooperative partnership to a new stage of all-round cooperation. To that end, the two sides will continue to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges and contacts, deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation in economic, trade and scientific and technological areas, strengthen all-directional exchanges and cooperation in all areas and promote links and coordination in international and regional affairs. The two sides also agreed to have China establish a cultural center in the ROK in a bid to further enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples.


Economic cooperation is a very important part of China-ROK good-neighborly and friendly relations. Premier Zhu, combining China's immediate accession to the WTO and the implementation of the Western Development Strategy, emphasized that China's market capacity will expand, which provides more space and opportunities for China-ROK mutually beneficial cooperation. It is hoped that the two sides should further expand China-ROK economic cooperation in environmental protection, science and technology, electronics, petrochemicals, steel, coal and other areas. China welcomes the ROK business community to actively participate in China's western development, which has got a positive response from the ROK side. The two sides also agreed to establish a China-ROK investment promotion institution and a 21st century China-ROK economic cooperation research center and to initiate programs supporting afforestation in the western parts of China. Premier Zhu also made emphasis on solving the trade deficit on the Chinese side in bilateral trade. The ROK side expressed that they would take positive measures to expand imports from China, including agricultural products. The two sides agreed to actively work for the sound and long-term development of bilateral trade by means of expanding equilibrium.


During Premier Zhu's visit to Japan and the ROK, the Japanese and ROK leaders suggested that East Asia regional economic cooperation should be developed actively and expressed the hope that economic cooperation among China, Japan and the ROK in East Asia, in particular coordination and cooperation within the framework of ASEAN-China, Japan and the ROK leadership meeting, should be strengthened. Premier Zhu fully agreed with that. The leaders of the three sides will meet again during the 4th East Asia leadership meeting to be held before the year's end, which will actively promote the development of regional cooperation in East Asia.


III. The 3rd ASEM is an important meeting of the Asian and European leaders at the turn of the century. Premier Zhu had an extensive discussion with other leaders attending the meeting on the cooperation in political, economic, cultural, social and other areas, raised a series of suggestions and proposals, thus making positive contributions to the success of the meeting.


1. Clearly raised that ASEM should be build as a model of inter-continental cooperation based on equality. Premier Zhu made an important speech entitled "Toward a new Century-Oriented Asia-Europe Partnership". He elaborated the significance of strengthening the cooperation between Asia and Europe. He stressed that as long as Asia and Europe following the principle of mutual-respect, treating each other as equals, seeking common grounds while reserving difference, consensus though consultation, step up exchanges, strengthen understanding, deepen cooperation and broaden common ground, ASEM can be build the model of inter-continental cooperation based on equality and the important force to establish a just and new international political and economic order.


2. Promoted greatly the development and expanding of the cooperation between Asia and Europe. In order to tap the advantages and potentials of cooperation between Asia and Europe in trade, finance, science and technology and other areas, Premier Zhu raised 5 suggestions: A. Expanding trade, investment and finance cooperation between Asia and Europe in answering to the need of optimizing industrial structure. B. Further stepping up and deepening scientific exchanges and cooperation. C. paying attention to the cultivating of talents, promoting the cooperation in education field. D. Paying attention to sustainable development, pushing forward the environment protection and cooperation in agriculture. E. Actively creating opportunities to explore new fields of cooperation between Asia and Europe. Premier Zhu's suggestions met with general acceptance of the participant leaders, and was incarnated well in the related documents passed in the meeting.


3. Carried out ASEM activities actively and practically. Addressing the shared concerns over some major questions by the Asian and European sides, China proposed to hold meetings of Asia and Europe Ministers of Environment, to develop cooperation on forest protection and sustainable developing science between Asia and Europe, and to hold the symposium on cracking down cross-border crimes between Asian and European law-enforcement organizations, which received supports from all parties of the meeting. Premier Zhu also pushed to hold at an early date,the 2nd Session of the meeting of Asian and European Ministers of Science and Technology.


In conjunction with the meeting, Premier Zhu met respectively with leaders of Indonesia, Germany and Ireland which further strengthened the friendly cooperative relationship with those countries.


The success of the ASEM III lays a good foundation for the Asia-Europe cooperation in the new century. We believe, as long as all parties concerned proceed from the fundamental interests of the people of the two continents, from the overall situation to maintain regional and global peace, stability and prosperity, broaden common ground and work jointly, the goals aforementioned will surely be obtained.


(NOV 3, 2000)