Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing Monday he values the efforts
made by the New China-Japan Friendship Committee for the 21st
Century.
During a meeting with members of the New China-Japan Friendship
Committee for the 21st Century, Wen thanked them for their
long-term efforts to promote friendship and break the political
stalemate between the two countries.
He also expressed his appreciation for the establishment of the
"China-Japan Friendship Fund" at the committee's suggestion, which
promotes non-governmental exchanges, especially between young
people.
Wen said maintaining friendship between the two countries is the
common desire of the two peoples and nothing can resist it.
He said he hopes the committee will continue to offer
suggestions about how to achieve stable and healthy relations
between the two countries.
Yotaro Kobayashi, the top representative of the Japanese side,
thanked Wen for his appreciation and encouragement for their
work.
He said the Japanese members are willing to closely cooperate
with Chinese counterparts to promote relations between the two
countries.
Before visiting China, Kobayashi visited Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe last Tuesday.
Abe said he hoped that Japan can build strategic, mutually
beneficial relations with China on the basis of Japan-China
friendship.
Abe also said to Kobayashi that he hoped the committee will
discuss issues related to long-term cooperation and make some
breakthroughs.
The New China-Japan Friendship Committee for the 21st Century
was established at the behest of leaders of the two countries. The
goal is to bring together intellectuals from both sides to study
relations from a broad political, economic, cultural, scientific
and technological perspective, and make proposals to the two
governments.
The committee has held five meetings since its inception in July
2003. The fifth one was held in Qingdao, in east China's Shandong
province from October 19 to 22.
(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2006)
