Wang Yi: China and Japan should make the differences manageable

China and Japan enjoy broad common interests and also encounter divergences and contradictions in some areas, which should be handled carefully and properly, Chinese state councilor and foreign minister Wang Yi said Monday.

Wang made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 16th Beijing-Tokyo Forum via video link.

China’s foreign minister just wrapped up a visit to Japan on Wednesday. He recalled that his journey led to a five-point consensus and six concrete results, including the launch of the “fast-track” access system for businesses that began Monday.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has made people feel deeply in all countries of the world that humanity is a community with a shared future and has once again demonstrated the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people, Wang pointed out.

He said China and Japan offered mutual assistance during the pandemic and previous natural disasters.

“We always remember how important it is to have a good neighbor and are grateful to those people who are working so hard to promote Sino-Japanese friendship.”

Wang Yi said friendship between the two peoples has always been an important cornerstone of China-Japan relations. However, he noted that the current contrast of sentiments between the two peoples deserves attention and deep thought.

According to a public opinion poll conducted this year by the Beijing-Tokyo Forum, 45% of Chinese have a favorable opinion of China, a record high, while the favorable view of China by the Japanese has fallen to a new low of the 10%.

Wang urged the two sides to expand and promote common interests and carefully and appropriately handle contradictions and handle differences constructively.

In each other’s internal affairs, the two sides should adhere to mutual respect and demonstrate understanding and tolerance as neighbors.

“We live in a new era of information and intelligence, and the masses and social media play an important role and have a special responsibility in mutual understanding and emotional interaction between the two peoples,” stressed the Chinese foreign minister, proposing that the two media of the parties to seek the truth, convey goodwill and create the future together.

“Frankly, some Japanese people’s perception of China is affected by the lack of truthful and complete information,” Wang said, adding that the media reports of the two sides should present the whole picture to each other.

One of the common moral principles followed by the two peoples is to prioritize harmony, which should also be the journalistic ethics pursued by the media of both countries, Wang noted, hoping that the media of both countries will look to the future, collect positive energy for cooperation between China and Japan and show a new vision for the development of Asia and the world.

Launched in 2005, the Beijing-Tokyo Forum is held alternately in Beijing and Tokyo, with the aim of improving bilateral relations and deepening mutual understanding between China and Japan.