Japanese
Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba vowed to boost relations as he met Chinese
leaders in Beijing on Wednesday.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Gemba that
both countries should strengthen political and strategic trust.
Next year will be the 40th anniversary of the
normalisation of Sino-Japanese relations, and Gemba said he expected it to be
an opportunity for both countries to deepen ties.
Japan is willing to work with China and
further develop exchanges between the people of the two countries, Gemba said
during talks with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi.
Sino-Japanese relations had generally improved
after the new cabinet took office in Tokyo earlier this year, Yang said.
Deeper cooperation with China will add
momentum to Japan's recovery following the March earthquake and tsunami, said
Shen Shishun, an expert on Asia-Pacific studies with the China Institute of
International Studies.
Both countries also realise the importance of
handling maritime disputes, Shen said.
Gemba, 47, the youngest Japanese foreign
minister since World War II, was on a one-day visit to Beijing, his first since
taking office in September.
The main purpose of Gemba's trip was to
prepare the groundwork for an expected visit by Japanese Prime Minister
Yoshihiko Noda to China later this year, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported.
Maritime issues have strained relations,
especially after a Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese Coast Guard
vessels in September 2010 in waters off China's Diaoyu Islands.
Proposals for a joint maritime crisis
management mechanism were also discussed during Gemba's meeting with Wen,
according to Yomiuri Shimbun's website.
The mechanism will allow for regular dialogue
involving the foreign, defense, fisheries and energy ministries as well as the
coastguards of both countries, according to the reports.
"Now that it's been more than a year
since the incident, both China and Japan need to come up with a mechanism like
this," said Feng Zhaokui, a researcher with the Institute of Japanese
Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
China said on Wednesday that it will conduct
naval exercises in the western Pacific this month.
"This is an annual, planned, routine
drill. It is not directed at any specific country or target and is in keeping
with relevant international laws and practices," said a brief statement
from the Defense Ministry. "China's freedom of navigation and other legal
rights should not be obstructed," it added.
Gemba also attended the opening ceremony of
the 2011 Japan Anime Festival in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon before meeting
Wen.
Exchanges of animation, movies and TV dramas,
will be increased, Gemba said, and this will provide a "great chance"
to enhance understanding.
In a video message aired at the ceremony, a
group of leading Japanese animation dubbing artists expressed their gratitude
to the Chinese people for their support after the March disaster.
Li Yang, a leading Chinese dubbing artist and
vice-president of China Animation Comic Game Group Inc, told China Daily that
Japan's highly developed animation entertainment industry can be a management
and operational model for China to build its own original cartoon theme park.
Ma Liyao and Hu Yinan
China Daily
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