Chinese, Japanese FMs hold phone conversation on ties

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday held a phone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi over ties between the two countries.

Wang said that in the face of the complicated international situation, China and Japan, having long been close neighbors and as the world's second and third largest economies, should conform with the trend of the times and the international trend, respect each other, trust each other and cooperate with each other for mutual benefit, and jointly play a positive role in the cause of peace and development of the region and the world at large.

The two sides should cherish and safeguard the hard-won overall situation of improvement and development of China-Japan relations, said Wang, and firmly implement the important consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga over the phone last year, abide by the principles and spirits established in the four political documents between China and Japan, and ensure that bilateral relations do not flip-flop, stagnate or backpedal, and do not get involved in the so-called confrontation between major countries.

China hopes that Japan, as an independent country, will look at China's development in an objective and rational way, instead of being misled by some countries holding biased view against China, Wang said.

Noting that Japan has an alliance with the United States, Wang said that China and Japan have also signed the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship, and Japan also has the obligation to fulfill the treaty.

Wang said China stands ready to continue promoting pragmatic cooperation with Japan, support each other in hosting the Tokyo Olympic Games and the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and take the opportunity of the China-Japan Cultural and Sports Exchange Promotion Year in 2021 and 2022 and next year's 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between China and Japan, to improve the national feelings of the two countries, and bring a stable and healthy China-Japan relations into the next 50 years.

Motegi said as Japan and China are close neighbors, the steady development of bilateral relations is of great importance not only for the two countries, but also the region and the world at large.

He noted that the Japan-U.S. alliance does not target any specific third party. Japan attaches great importance to its relations with China and remains committed to ensuring the steady development of Japan-China relations, he added.

He said that Japan is willing to maintain communication with China, strengthen dialogue, enhance mutual trust and properly manage their differences, so as to create a sound atmosphere for jointly celebrating the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan and China.

Japan is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields, and maintain communication on supporting each other in hosting the Tokyo Olympic Games and the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Wang elaborated on China's position on issues such as the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea, and opposed to Japan's interference in China's internal affairs involving Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

He urged Japan to abide by the basic norms governing international relations, truly respect China's internal affairs as a close neighbor and refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional cooperation, climate change and international and regional issues such as the situation in Myanmar.