Mme. Li Xiaolin, president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) met in Beijing with Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians’ union (JCFPU) delegation led by Mr. HAYASHI YOSHIMASA, president of JCFPU and former minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan on May, 5. Mr. Song Jingwu, vice President of CPAFFC, Mme. Zhu Dan, deputy director-general of Department of Japanese Affairs of CPAFFC, Mr. UENO ATSUSHI, political minister of Japanese Embassy in China and others attended the meeting.

President Li Xiaolin extended warm welcome to the delegation and said that China and Japan are important neighbors and the friendly relationship of the two countries is in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries and the peoples. Last year marked 40th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for several times, and exchanged visits with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. With the joint efforts, the bilateral relations returned to normal track and achieved new results. This year marks 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and Japan’s new imperial era to begin on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito becomes emperor, will be called Reiwa. She said that both sides should value the positive signs that the current Sino-Japanese relations showed and implement a series of consensus that the leaders of the two countries have reached, so as to ensure that bilateral relations run in the right direction.

President Li said, as a national people’s organization engaged in people-to-people diplomacy of the People’s Republic of China, CPAFFC is always working for the friendship between peoples, organizes series of fine programs including China-Japan Governors Forum, the dance drama Crested Ibises and Chinese Characters: A Legacy and Marvel Perfected Over Three Millennia. This year marks China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year. 30,000 young people will be arranged for the exchanges and visits in the next five years. Last month, CPAFFC jointly organized the opening ceremony of China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Second Belt and Road Forum for International and Cooperation with People’s Government of Beijing City. Looking to the future, CPAFFC would like to work together with Japanese personages and organizations from all walks of life, including JCFPU to develop friendly exchanges and pragmatic cooperation in various fields and cultivate new strength for China-Japan friendship, so as to realize the people-to-people ties and enable the friendship to pass on from generation to generation.

HAYASHI YOSHIMASA said that it is pleasant for him to lead the first delegation to visit China after the beginning of a new era, Reiwa. It was inspiring that the Sino-Japanese relations had achieved a series of pragmatic results, including the bilateral ties showing positive sighs, the top leaders keeping close contact and more exchanges developed in various fields since last year. At present, the foreign affairs of ministers of the two countries attended the opening ceremony of Japan-China Youth Exchange Promotion Year, and the young people of the two countries confronted with important opportunities to further improve. JCFPU and CPAFFC had been keeping close contact. I also had meetings with President Li Xiaolin for several times and forged deep friendship. Therefore, JCFPU would like to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with CPAFFC to jointly make more contributions to improve the Sino-Japanese relations.
 There are 14 members of the Diet from ruling and opposition parties of Japan in the delegation.

Photographed by Zeng Guangming