On February 21, 2008, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan attended a reception organized by the Chinese Embassy for Japanese people in Tokyo.

In his speech, Tang extended lofty respect and heartfelt thanks to Japanese people who have made important contributions to the development of Sino-Japanese friendly relations over the years.

"This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan. During the past 30 years, the bilateral relationship has achieved substantial progress in all fields and has reached unprecedented levels," Tang said. "Meanwhile, relationship between the two countries has also gone through many difficulties. Thanks to efforts made by both sides, the improvement of the Sino-Japanese ties has been gaining momentum since last year," Tang said. He said with the consecutive exchange of visits between leaders of the two countries, the Sino-Japanese relationship returned to the normal track and was newly defined as the mutual beneficial ties based on common strategic interests.

Reviewing the development process of the post-war Sino-Japanese relations, Tang pointed out that both sides should cherish and protect the fruits and good situation of the Sino-Japanese ties since they were not easily achieved, and should firmly believe at all time that the Sino-Japanese friendship is on an irreversible course and is in accord with historic trends. Since the development of the Sino-Japanese friendly and cooperative relations is in line with interests of both, China and Japan should prudently deal with old and new problems in order to keep them from affecting the overall situation of the bilateral ties, the state councilor said.

The Chinese government is highly concerned about and attaches great importance to the recent dumpling case in Japan, said Tang, adding that he would like to extend his sincere sympathy to the victims. China hopes that the two countries closely cooperate with each other to find out the truth as early as possible, Tang said. The state councilor reiterated that on food safety, the Chinese government, which sticks to the people-oriented policy, is not only responsible to 1.3 billion Chinese people, but also responsible to people who eat China-made food in foreign countries. This is the Chinese government's unswerving policy, he added.

Tang stressed that China and Japan are facing expanding common interests and opportunities, as well as more common challenges in the new era. Looking into the future, the Sino-Japanese relationship is standing at a new historic threshold and is facing wide space for development, Tang said. The upcoming visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Japan scheduled in this spring bears great and far-reaching significance in pushing forward the continuous development of the Sino-Japanese ties and bringing a new phase to the bilateral relationship, Tang said. The Chinese side would like to take the opportunity of President Hu's visit to draw with the Japanese side a blueprint for the development of the Sino-Japanese relationship in the future and to establish a new framework for the healthy and stable development of the bilateral ties in the long term. "With the two countries joining hands to deal with challenges and share opportunities, the Sino-Japanese friendship is set to further thrive in the 21st century," he added.

Ikuo Hirayama, president of the Japan-China Friendship Association, said in his speech that people from all circles of Japan, who are gratified to see the improvement and development of the Japan-China relationship, are warmly looking forward to President Hu's Japan tour and believe the visit will help construct stronger bilateral ties.

Prior to the reception, Tang met with a number of Japanese ministers, former prime ministers, parliament members, leaders of major political parties and friendly personages from all circles of Japan attending the reception.