China, Japan to maintain high-level talks

As bilateral ties are at a critical stage of improvement, China and Japan agreed on Monday to maintain high-level exchanges and dialogues in various fields, sending positive signals to the outside world.

The pledge was made as Foreign Minister Wang Yi held consultations in Beijing under the China-Japan high-level political dialogue mechanism with Takeo Akiba, special adviser to the Japanese Cabinet and secretary-general of Japan's National Security Secretariat.

During the talks, Wang, who is also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, urged Tokyo to establish an objective and rational perception of Beijing, abide by the political commitments made on the Taiwan question, and effectively uphold the political foundation of China-Japan relations.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the China-Japan strategic mutually beneficial relationship in all respects in accordance with the principles and consensuses set out in the four political documents between the two nations.

The two sides held the view that China and Japan, as important neighbors with their development closely linked and highly complementary, should not and will not "decouple".

They vowed to make concerted efforts to promote the healthy development of economic and trade cooperation, and the stable and smooth operation of industrial and supply chains.

On the same day, Vice-President Han Zheng met in Beijing with a delegation from the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, and said that China-Japan economic and trade cooperation enjoys a good foundation, great space and strong complementarity.

Han said the two countries should tap the cooperation potential to achieve a higher level of mutual benefit and win-win results, while calling on Japanese enterprises to seize China's development opportunities.

China is Japan's largest trading partner, second-largest export destination and largest source of imports, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Recent months have witnessed intensified interactions between China and Japan, which observers said indicated that bilateral ties are proceeding steadily and gradually improving.

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Shigeru Ishiba shortly after he was elected as Japanese prime minister in October, and Foreign Minister Wang also held phone talks with Akiba last month.

According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, the talks between Wang and Akiba on Monday were intended to lay the groundwork for a meeting between leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of an international gathering to be held in South America later this month.

During the consultation, regarding the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, the two sides agreed to expedite the follow-up implementation of the bilateral political consensus reached in September.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern. Emphasizing that China firmly follows a path of peaceful development, Wang said China pursues a defensive national defense policy and has the best record on peace and security issues among major countries.

China will continue to adhere to fairness and justice and prevent conflicts and chaos from occurring in the region, he added.

Wang expressed the hope that all parties will jointly resist external forces that incite confrontation, and maintain regional peace and stability with concrete actions.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn