Ａｃｔｉｖｉｔｉｅｓ Ｍａｒｋｉｎｇ ３５ｔｈ Ａｎｎｉｖｅｒｓａｒｙ ｏｆ Ｎｏｒｍａｌｉｚａｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ Ｓｉｎｏ－Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ Ｄｉｐｌｏｍａｔｉｃ Ｒｅｌａｔｉｏｎｓ Ｈｅｌｄ

On the afternoon of September 27 at the Great Hall of the People， Premier Wen Jiabao met with former Japanese prime ministers Yoshiro Mori and Tomiichi Murayama as well as leaders of the Japanese friendship-with-China organizations who were invited to attend the activities in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan， President of the China-Japan Friendship Association (CJFA) Song Jian， Vice Foreign Ministers Dai Bingguo and Wang Yi， CPAFFC President Chen Haosu， Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cui Tiankai， Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei， CPAFFC Vice President Jing Dunquan and Japanese Ambassador to China Yuji Miyamoto were present at the meeting.

Premier Wen said， 35 years ago， in conformity with the historical trend the Chinese and Japanese statesmen of the older generation made the strategic decision to normalize diplomatic relations between China and Japan， turning a new chapter in the annals of the bilateral relations. The development of Sino-Japanese relations in the past 35 years proves that this strategic decision has benefited the two countries and the two peoples and also promoted peace， stability and development of the region.

Premier Wen spoke highly of the contributions to the development of Sino-Japanese relations made by the personages of insight of Japanese various circles. He said， currently China-Japan relations present a good momentum of development and are facing important opportunities. This situation does not come easily and should be greatly cherished. The Chinese Government will， as always， continue its friendly policy towards Japan to develop good-neighbourly relations of cooperation with Japan on the basis of the three political documents signed by the two countries. Wen expressed his hope that the governments and people of various circles of the two countries would make concerted efforts to enhance mutual trust， strengthen cooperation and continuously push forward the strategic relations of mutual benefit so as to ensure a long-term and steady development of the bilateral relations.

The Japanese side said， through joint efforts of both sides， the bilateral relations achieved sound improvement and development in the past year. The development of Japan-China friendly relations is not only of utmost importance to both countries， but also will have a positive impact on peace and prosperity of Asia and the world. The two countries should take the opportunity of the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations to actively push forward the strategic relations of mutual benefit and keep high-level exchanges， step up mutually beneficial cooperation in the key areas such as environmental protection and energy conservation， promote youth exchanges and cooperation between the localities， carry out various activities of the Year of China-Japan Cultural and Sports Exchange in a bid to enhance mutual understanding and friendly sentiments between the two peoples and push a continuous steady development of Japan-China relations.

Reception Marking the 35th Anniversary of

Normalization of China-Japan Diplomatic Relations

On the evening of September 27， a grand reception in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations jointly sponsored by the CPAFFC and the CJFA was held at the Great Hall of the People. Premier Wen Jiabao; Lu Yongxiang， vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress; Tang Jiaxuan， state councilor; Li Guixian， vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Song Jian， CJFA president; Chen Haosu， CPAFFC president， and leading officials of the Foreign Ministry， the International Department of the CPC Central Committee， the Ministry of Commerce， the Ministry of Culture， the Ministry of Finance， the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade， the All-China Federation of Trade Unions， the All-China Youth Federation and the All-China Women’s Federation， as well as former Japanese prime ministers Yoshiro Mori and Tomiichi Murayama， representatives of the seven Japanese friendship-with-China organizations including Takeshi Noda， president of the Japan-China Society; Masayoshi Hayashi，director general of the General Affairs Office of the Dietmen’s League for Japan-China Friendship; Fujio Cho， president of the Japan-China Association for Economy and Trade;Fujio Mitarai， chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations; family members of some of the then Japanese leaders at the time of normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations and representatives of other organizations， among over 600 Chinese and Japanese people of various circles， attended the reception. State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan and former Japanese prime ministers Yoshiro Mori and Tomiichi Murayama spoke on the occasion.

Tang Jiaxuan said， 35 years ago， the statesmen of the older generation of the two countries made the strategic decision to normalize Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations， turning a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations. In the past 35 years Sino-Japanese relations have witnessed ups and downs and also development. With concerted efforts by the governments and personages of insight of various circles of the two countries， Sino-Japanese relations are now back to the normal track. Particularly in the past year， the leaders of the two countries kept frequent contacts and communication and reached important consensus on building Sino-Japanese strategic relations of mutual benefit and realizing the goal of “peaceful coexistence， lasting friendship， mutually beneficial cooperation and common development”， pushing the bilateral relations to a new stage of development. This hard-won situation should be cherished by both sides.

Tang pointed out， to develop Sino-Japanese relations and promote common development is not only in keeping with the common interests of the two peoples， but also conducive to peace， development and stability of Asia and the world. Looking ahead to the future， China and Japan have bright prospects and shoulder heavy responsibilities in years to come. China would like to work together with Japan to firmly take the correct direction for the bilateral relations， unswervingly safeguard the political basis of Sino-Japanese relations and continuously push forward the bilateral relations for long-term， healthy and steady growth based on the principles set by the three political documents including the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and in the spirit of “taking history as a mirror and looking to the future”. China would like to work together with Japan to further enhance mutual political trust， expand common interests， increase people-to-people exchanges and actively promote cooperation of mutual benefit in all fields so as to push Sino-Japanese relations to conform to the tide of the times and march towards a better future.

In their speeches on behalf of the Japanese side， former Japanese prime ministers Yoshiro Mori and Tomiichi Murayama said， people of various circles in Japan feel gratified at and support the obvious improvement of the Japan-China relations. Currently， the two countries witness smooth progress in cooperation in the fields of economy， culture， sports， friendship cities and youth exchanges. Both of them expressed their belief that under the leadership of the Japanese new administration， Japan-China relations will see further headway and Japan-China friendship steady and long-term development. The two countries should make joint efforts to bring about a bright future of the bilateral relations by continuously abiding by the principles set in the three political documents and in the spirit of looking squarely at history and facing towards the future. The Japanese side also wishes the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games a full success.

When proposing a toast， Song Jian expressed his welcome to the representatives of the Japanese friendship-with-China organizations for coming to China to jointly mark the 35th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations. He said， the nongovernmental organizations of the two countries should carry forwardthe fine traditions of people-to-people exchanges， commit themselves to the historical mission entrusted by the times and make unremitting efforts to further develop good-neighbourly relations of cooperation between the two countries， enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples and realize the lofty goal of “peaceful coexistence， lasting friendship， mutually beneficial cooperation and common development.”

CPAFFC Vice President Jing Dunquan presided over the reception， at which artists of the two countries gave wonderful performances.