CRI听力:Chinese President Stresses China-Japan Exchanges

Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the role of people-to-people exchanges in promoting China-Japan relations while attending a gathering of over 3-thousand Japanese visitors in Beijing.

CRI's Sophie Williams reports.

While meeting with the Japanese delegation in the Great Hall of the People, President Xi Jinping encouraged more people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan.

"The China-Japan friendship is rooted in the people, and the future of the bilateral relationship is in the hand of the people of the two countries. The more obstacles we face in bilateral relations, the more we need to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, creating conditions to improve the bilateral relationship. The Chinese government supports these exchanges and hopes people from all walks of life, especially young people, can commit themselves to bilateral friendship."

Recalling the long history of interaction between the two neighbors, President Xi said peace and friendship factor strongly in the collective mind of the two peoples.

He said the China and Japan should take history as a lesson and develop a mutual friendship:

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to ties with Japan. Despite the twists and turns in the bilateral relationship, we stand ready to work with the Japanese side to advance the neighborly friendship and cooperation between the two countries on the basis of the four political documents."

The four documents refer to a set of agreements reached by China and Japan since 1972 that aim to advance bilateral relations.

As this year marks the 70th anniversary in the victory of Chinese People's Resistance War against Japanese Aggression, President Xi also stressed that any distortion of history is not acceptable.

"The aggression conducted by Japanese militarists has brought huge suffering to the Chinese people and cast a shadow over bilateral relations. Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future. I believe, not only people from China and other Asian countries invaded by Japan, but also the Japanese people with a sense of justice and conscience, will not allow any attempt to distort or beautify the history of invasion conducted by Japanese militarists."

Toshihiro Nikai, chairman of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's General Council who leads the delegation, offered a commitment to cement the China-Japan friendship.

"I hope our Chinese friends, led by President Xi Jinping, can help us to open a new chapter in the bilateral relationship. It's our mission to maintain peace and friendship between our countries. Japan is ready to join hands with China to make relentless efforts to promote bilateral relations."

Japanese government officials, businessmen representing many sectors, and members of social organizations are in the 3-thousand strong delegations.

The Chinese and Japanese participants at the gathering have also issued a joint proposal to enhance people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in pursuit of the China-Japan friendship from generation to generation.

For CRI, I'm Sophie Williams.