Hu Jintao meets with heads of seven Japan-China friendship groups and four overseas Chinese bodies

On the morning of May 8, 2008, Chinese President Hu Jintao in Tokyo attended a welcoming reception hosted by seven Japan-China friendship groups as well as four overseas Chinese bodies and delivered a speech. Hu pointed out that history and present prove that China-Japan friendship is a historical tradition and, at the same time, conforms to the trend of the times. Hu said that peaceful coexistence, friendship for generations, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development should be the lofty goal China and Japan strive for together. The China-Japan friendship is based on the friendship between the two peoples and must rely on both peoples for further development.

The welcoming reception was held at Akasaka Prince Hotel. When Hu stepped in the reception hall, incessant and enthusiastic applause burst out.

In his speech, Hu said China and Japan, which are close neighbors separated by a narrow strip of water, have maintained friendly exchanges for more than 2,000 years. Such friendly exchanges have promoted the progress of their respective countries, forged their unbreakable cultural bonds, and marked the history of exchanges between different nations of the world with a splendid chapter. Since the normalization of bilateral ties in 1972, China-Japan relations have witnessed rapid development with exchange and cooperation continuously deepening, and this has brought substantive benefits to the two countries and peoples, and made positive contributions to the peace and development of Asia and the world at large, said Hu.

He added that the current favorable situation in bilateral ties is hard-won and is the fruit of the painstaking work of generations. Hu said that to normalize China-Japan diplomatic ties and sign the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty was a strategic decision by the older generations of leaderships of the two countries. "They are the pioneers in the history of modern China-Japan relations and worthy of our memory," said Hu. The judicious personages from all walks of life in both countries, especially the friends from the seven friendship groups, who have long been espousing the establishment of China-Japan friendship and devoted to the cause of China-Japan friendship, have made unremitting efforts and important contributions, said Hu. The Chinese president, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, extended heartfelt thanks and great respects to those Japanese friends of various circles who have made contributions to pushing forward China-Japan ties.

Hu emphasized that both sides should focus on youth exchanges in order to achieve the friendship for generations between the two peoples. The Chinese and Japanese governments have set this year as the China-Japan Youth Friendly Exchange Year, which is a move of great significance, said Hu. He sincerely hoped that the seven Japan-China friendship groups will make new contributions to bilateral youth exchanges.

China-Japan relations are facing new opportunities for further advancement, said Hu. He expressed the hope that people of various circles in both countries will carry forward the cause and make concerted efforts to promote China-Japan friendship in a bid to bring greater benefit to both peoples, Asian people and people of the rest of the world.

The reception was hosed by Japan-China Friendship Association, the Japanese Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association, Association of Dietmen League for Japan-China Friendship, Japan-China Association on Economy and Trade, Japan-China Society, Japan-China Friendship Center, the General Federation of Japan-Based Chinese, the New Overseas Chinese Association in Japan, Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Japan and China Enterprises Association in Japan.

Member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee (CPCCC) & Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee Ling Jihua, Member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee (CPCCC) & Director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee Wang Huning, State Councilor Dai Bingguo and other officials attended the reception.