Hu Jiping, president of the University of International Relations, attends the Global Times Annual Conference 2026, themed “Trust in China: New Journey, New Opportunities,” on December 20, 2025, in Beijing. Photo: Global Times

The Global Times Annual Conference 2026, themed "Trust in China: New Journey, New Opportunities," was held in Beijing on Saturday. During a panel on "Symbiotic States: A New Exploration of How Major Powers Relate to Their Neighbors," Hu Jiping, president of the University of International Relations, pointed out that diplomacy with neighboring countries is of great importance to China for improving its external environment and achieving national rejuvenation. He said the concept of "symbiotic states" aligns with the basic direction of human development and to achieve the concept, Cold War and zero-sum mindsets must be abandoned. 

Speaking about recent China-Japan relations, Hu said that since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1972, the two countries enjoyed a period of healthy development that significantly boosted both economies. However, he said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks have seriously damaged this important bilateral relationship.

"Takaichi's remarks have seriously undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations," Hu said, noting that Takaichi has damaged the foundation laid by four political documents that underpin the bilateral relationship. He noted especially the China-Japan Joint Statement signed in 1972 and the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed in 1978. The two documents are outcomes of not only the negotiations over the normalization of China-Japan relations, but also the two countries' settlements of postwar issues following the World War II, which are very serious, he said.

He said the principles of the 1972 joint statement were reaffirmed in the 1978 treaty, thereby giving them treaty-level authority, including Japan's recognition that the Taiwan island was returned to China under Article 8 of the Potsdam Declaration. Under this principle, the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair, and a matter for the Chinese people to resolve; and cross-Straits confrontation legally falls within the framework of China's civil war, Hu noted.

Hu said the Japanese government in the 1970s clearly recognized this, but Japan's current stance has changed, effectively representing a major shift in its attitude toward the postwar settlement, which is a very serious problem. To build a stable and peaceful China-Japan relationship, Japan must first return to the course set out by the 1972 joint statement and this has become an urgent priority, Hu noted.

Global Times