Aso’s optimism shines in spring visit to China

• Source: The Global Times
• [09:19 April 29 2009]
• Comments

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso arrives in China today to begin a two-day visit. Before leaving Japan, he granted an exclusive interview with Xie Rongbin and Chang Liming from the Global Times (GT), addressing his opinion on Sino-Japanese relations, cooperation between both countries in combating the financial crisis and cultural exchanges. Aso said he believes that although Sino-Japanese relations have some fragile aspects with regard to the sentiments of the public, “spring has now come.”

GT: Last year, during your first visit to China as Prime Minister, you said that Japan-China relations might enter their “autumnal period,” in that autumn is the season for reaping the harvest. Do you think that relations are actually now at such a stage?

Taro Aso: In the year since President Hu visited Japan, cooperation between Japan and China has been developing steadily in every area, including politics and economics, and at every level. Spring has now come, and I don’t feel a need any longer for analogies to the seasons in discussing our bilateral relations, which will continue to develop into the future.

Before this trip to China, I had summit talks with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao six times in the approximately half a year since I assumed the office of prime minister in 2008, and we have exchanged views regarding a wide range of areas. The maintenance of a favorable relationship between Japan and China is in the interests of both Asia and the entire international community. I intend for Japan and China to engage in substantial cooperation by continuing to have close communication between our countries in the future, in order to consolidate and strengthen our “mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests.”

At the same time, the fact is that the Japan-China bilateral relationship has some fragile aspects with regard to the sentiments of the public. The key point is that we build up dialogue and exchange across the entire spectrum of levels and ensure that mutual understanding between the people of our countries has the broadest possible coverage in our societies. In particular, I think that for the stable development of the Japan-China bilateral relationship, it is important to promote interpersonal exchanges between our countries still further, focused on the younger generation, and to strengthen mutual understanding and mutual trust.