Premier Wen Jiabao called yesterday for China and Japan
to seize the opportunity to realize the sustainable, stable and
healthy development of bilateral economic and trade relations.
China and Japan are important trading partners, and
strengthening economic cooperation is conducive to the strategic
mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries, Wen
told visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.
Komura, who is on his first visit to China since taking office
last September, led the Japanese delegation to the first
China-Japan high-level economic dialogue held on Saturday afternoon
in Beijing.
"The economic dialogue aims to increase exchanges on development
strategies and macro-economic management," Wen said, adding that
the establishment of the mechanism will help facilitate
cross-departmental cooperation for both sides.
As next year is the 30th anniversary of the signing of the
Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan, Wen called
for both sides to grasp the opportunity and further strengthen
exchanges.
Komura said the first high-level economic dialogue was a success
because both sides had frank discussions on issues such as economic
policies, energy saving, environmental protection, and trade and
investment.
Mitsuo Sakaba, press secretary to Komura, told reporters after
the meeting that Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda would visit
China at the end of the month or early next month; and that Japan
had invited President Hu Jintao to visit during the "cherry blossom
season" (early April).
In his meeting with Komura on Saturday, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the two
countries should enhance cooperation to ensure the success of the
coming visit to China by Fukuda.
Yang said that both sides should work to strengthen economic
relations by focusing on collaboration in energy and environmental
protection.
Komura reiterated that Japan does not support Taiwan "joining
the United Nations" and opposes any unilateral change of the status
quo across the Taiwan Straits.
On the East China Sea issue, Yang said maintaining friendly
consultations is the only correct solution to the issue and a
realistic way to resolve disputes in joint exploration.
Yang and Komura also exchanged views on international and
regional issues such as nuclear issue on Korean Peninsula, Myanmar,
and East Asia cooperation.
The two foreign ministers also signed agreements on mutual
cooperation in criminal investigations and on Japan's final batch
of yen loans to China.
Japan will offer $414 million in loans for the construction of
seven environmental protection projects.
The two sides agreed that the second meeting of the high-level
economic dialogue would take place in Tokyo next year.
(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2007)
