The Road I Have Taken for China—Japan Friendship

Editor’s Note： Ms. Wang Xiaoxian was born in Laoting County， Hebei Province， in 1930， and graduated from the Japanese Language Specialty of the Department of Oriental Languages and Literature of Peking University. From the 1950s， she has been engaged in the work of developing China-Japan friendship， and was personally involved in a series of important events such as normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations， signing of the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty， etc. She successively served as Deputy Division Chief and Division Chief of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Japan， Director-General of the Department of Japanese Affairs of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （CPAFFC） and Vice President of the CPAFFC. She was elected Delegate to the Twelfth National Congress of the Communist Party of China， Member of the Eighth National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， and Member of the Ninth CPPCC National Committee and its Foreign Affairs Committee. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the CPAFFC in 2014， she was interviewed about the road she had taken for China-Japan friendship. In the present difficult situation of China-Japan relations， it is of great importance to consider and learn from the experience and wisdom of the older generation. The following is the summary of the interview.

Let people-to-people contacts lead to promote the official ties： Personal experiences on the road to normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations

In the early days of New China， the Japanese Government adopted a hostile policy towards China and established “diplomatic ties” with the Chiang Kai-shek clique [on Taiwan]， erecting huge barriers to the normalization of diplomatic ties. However， there was a strong desire for developing friendly relations with China among the Japanese people， and far-sighted personages of various circles insisted the Japanese Government face up to the world trend and grant recognition. In view of the existing international environment and the domestic situation in Japan， Premier Zhou Enlai followed Chairman Mao Zedong’s strategic thinking that “China’s diplomacy is based on the people， takes them into account and places hopes on them” to promote a policy of “letting people-to-people contacts go first， and thereby promoting official ties”. This has become a major characteristic of the development of China-Japan relations in the post-war period.

In March 1952， with the aim of opening a channel for people-to-people contacts and carrying out nongovernmental trade between the two countries， Premier Zhou instructed Nan Hancheng， head of the Chinese delegation attending an international economic conference in Moscow， to invite Tomi Kora， Kei Hoashi and Kisuke Miyakoshi， Japanese Dietmen attending the conference， to visit China. These three Japanese friends took the chance to visit Denmark and France and then came to China via Moscow to sign the first China-Japan nongovernmental trade agreement. It was their courage that opened the door for contacts between the two countries. Once the people-to-people contacts started， economic and cultural exchanges were carried out steadily and continuously. During the period from 1953 to early 1957， Japanese personages from various circles including Dietmen visited China one after another， while China also sent trade， academic and Peking Opera delegations in the other direction. In that period， the two sides signed agreements covering various aspects including trade， fisheries， treatment of overseas nationals， culture， science， trade union affairs， etc.

At this time， Nobusuke Kishi came into power in February 1957. The Kishi Administration changed the positive policy towards China and put forward a slogan of “separation of politics from economy”， attempting to gain economic benefits while politically becoming more pro-America and anti-China. It even created a “two Chinas” approach， proclaiming support for Chiang Kai-shek’s attempt to “recapture” the mainland. It was against this background that an incident occurred at the Chinese stamp and paper-cut exhibition held in Nagasaki in May 1958 when Japanese ruffians tore up the Chinese national flag. When the Chinese Government lodged a strong protest， the Kishi Administration declared， “Insulting the national flag of a country with which there are no diplomatic relations does not constitute a crime”.

Under such a situation， in order to eliminate interference and enable China-Japan friendship to advance along the right course， the Chinese Government was forced to abrogate the long-term China-Japan steel agreement， discontinue granting licenses for imports from Japan and refuse to extend the China-Japan fisheries agreement， etc. Because of the Kishi Administration’s anti-China policy， friendly contacts and trade ties were thus suspended.

To cope with the situation， Premier Zhou put forward three political principles the Japanese Government would have to observe in order to continue bilateral trade and friendly relations： First， the Japanese government should stop its policy of hostility towards China； second， it should not take part in the conspiracy of creating “two Chinas”； third， it should not obstruct normalization of bilateral relations.

After the suspension of China-Japan trade， some Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises faced great difficulties. Tatsunosuke Takasaki， Director-General of the Economic Planning Agency in the Ichiro Hatoyama Cabinet， who had met with Premier Zhou Enlai at the Bandung Conference [1955]， sent a letter to the Chinese Premier through a go-between expressing the hope the Chinese side would give some favorable treatment to Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises. In line with the three political principles， however， China could not restart trade with Japan without a change in its hostile policy. However， in the interests of China-Japan friendship， and particularly considering the actual difficulties of the Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises， Premier Zhou decided to help them by allowing entry of “favored commodities” via the trade unions of the two countries without involvement of the foreign trade departments of both sides.

In August 1960， during his meeting with Kazuo Suzuki， Managing Director of the Japan Association for the Promotion of Trade with China， Premier Zhou put forward three principles guiding China-Japan trade： governmental agreements， non-governmental contracts and favorable treatment in specific cases. As he explained， in the past， China developed trade with Japan through non-governmental agreements， but the Kishi Administration neither recognized these， nor guaranteed their implementation. Furthermore， it adopted the policy of hostility towards China and breached various bilateral agreements. Thus， China had had no choice but to suspend trade with Japan for more than two years. Therefore， in the future， all agreements would have to be signed between the governments of the two countries in order to guarantee compliance. However， that did not mean there could be no bilateral trade in the absence of such governmental agreements. Enterprises and companies of the two countries could sign non-governmental contracts， and， if these were well fulfilled and the political environment of the two countries was developing positively， short-term contracts could become long-term ones.

Premier Zhou stressed that， in developing China-Japan relations， it would be unworkable to attempt to separate the economy from politics. The three political principles， three trade principles and the principle of inseparability of politics from economy put forward by Premier Zhou gave support to friendship-with-China forces in Japan and played an active role in promoting official ties through people-to-people contacts.

During the period when China-Japan trade suspended， Western European countries actively seized the chance to enter the Chinese market and trade increased rapidly. Japanese economic circles， worrying about losing the chance in China， urged the new Prime Minister， Hayato Ikeda， to take action as soon as possible to improve the Japan-China relationship. Personages of insight in the Liberal Democratic Party also acted one after another. In June 1959， former Japanese Prime Minister Tanzan Ishibashi sent a letter to Premier Zhou expressing his wish to visit China to improve relations， and the visit took place in September. The Chinese side attached great importance to his visit. Premier Zhou had two talks with him and they then issued a communiqué. After returning home， Ishibashi said： “Japan should not adopt a hostile attitude towards China”. His remarks had enormous repercussions in Japanese political circles. In 1963， Ishibashi became President of the Japan Association for Promotion of International Trade and again traveled to China to preside over the opening ceremony of a Japanese industrial exhibition. Chairman Mao met with him on the Tiananmen Rostrum. From his first visit to China in 1959 up to his death in 1973， Ishibashi made unremitting efforts and precious contributions to the promotion of China-Japan relations.

Kenzo Matsumura， another old friend of the Chinese people and former advisor to the Liberal Democratic Party， paid his first visit to China in October 1959 to explore the possibility of restoring Japan-China trade and improving bilateral relations. Premier Zhou told him that China and Japan should be friendly towards each other on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence （mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity， mutual non-aggression， non-interference in each other’s internal affairs， equality and mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence）. The two countries should not only improve understanding， but also gradually restore normal relations. Premier Zhou also elaborated China’s stance on the Taiwan issue and discussed with Matsumura how to extricate Japan from its difficult position in that regard. In that cold season of China-Japan relations， Kenzo Matsumura with great enthusiasm and courage made enormous efforts to break the deadlock.

With Matsumura’s introduction， Tatsunosuke Takasaki led a businessmen delegation to visit China in October 1960. Premier Zhou talked with him several times together with Chen Yi and Liao Chengzhi， briefing him on government policy towards Japan. He emphasized China’s willingness to normalize bilateral relations and enhance friendship and cooperation between the two peoples on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Ten Principles of the Bandung Conference. However， as a precondition for improving bilateral relations， the Japanese Government must abide by the three political principles.

Upon returning home， both Matsumura and Takasaki reported their visits to Prime Minister Ikeda， which， to some extent， influenced the Ikeda Cabinet’s policy towards China. In May 1962， disregarding restrictions imposed by the United States， it decided to follow the example of Western Europe in trade with China by way of deferred payment. Prime Minister Ikeda stated that Japan’s trade with China should be decided by Japan itself.

In September 1962， Matsumura paid his second visit to China to hold talks with Premier Zhou， Vice Premier Chen Yi and Comrade Liao Chengzhi. Premier Zhou reiterated the three political principles and the principle of inseparability of politics from economy， and particularly emphasized China’s firm stand of opposing “two Chinas”. He said the bilateral political and economic relations should have coordinated and mutually supportive development. During this meeting， the two sides agreed to develop China-Japan political and economic relations in a cumulative way and gradually bring about normalization.

One month later， Tatsunosuke Takasaki led a 42-member delegation composed of Japanese politicians and major entrepreneurs to visit China to implement the consensus reached by Premier Zhou and Kenzo Matsumura. The two sides signed a long-term and comprehensive non-governmental trade document in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. The signatories were respectively Liao Chengzhi and Takasaki； hence the memorandum became known as the LT trade document. As its contents had the consent of both governments， the memorandum was almost a governmental trade agreement in nature. Thus， we can say that， from 1962， China-Japan relations advanced half a step， entering a transitional stage between government and non-government.

In April 1964， Matsumura visited China for the third time， and Premier Zhou had a five-hour talk with him. The two sides reached agreement and signed documents on establishing a liaison office in each country and exchanging resident journalists. Acting on the agreement， the Chinese side established the Liao Chengzhi Liaison Office in Tokyo in August 1964 and the Japanese side the Tatsunosuke Takasaki Liaison Office in Beijing in January 1965. In September 1964， the first resident journalists arrived in each other’s capital city. The opening of this semi-official and semi-people-to-people channel was the result of long-term efforts by both sides. However， later， due to Eisaku Sato’s rise to power and interference caused by China’s “cultural revolution”， the LT trade met with great difficulties. With joint efforts of Premier Zhou and Japanese personages of insight， this channel was maintained and laid a solid foundation for normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations.

The 1971 LT Trade talks were held in February that year. As at that time China-U.S. relations had already shown signs of thaw， and more and more countries had recognized the PRC， the talks proceeded quite smoothly. In a communiqué， the Japanese side recognized the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government representing China， and Taiwan as an inalienable part of the Chinese territory， and the scheme of creating “two Chinas” or “one China and one Taiwan” in any form was impermissible. In the communiqué it was stated explicitly for the first time that the “Japan-Chiang Kai-shek Peace Treaty” was invalid， and must be abolished. These are， actually， the three principles on restoration of China-Japan diplomatic relations China put forward later.

During that period， the Japanese Dietmen’s League for Promotion of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and China consisting of more than 320 Diet members of different political parties was founded， replacing the Japanese Dietmen’s League for Promotion of Trade between Japan and China founded in 1950. Organizations for promotion of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations with the participation of various social sectors then steadily emerged. Personages of opposition parties including the Socialist Party of Japan， the Komei Party and the Democratic Socialist Party visited China one after another. They held talks and issued communiqués with the China-Japan Friendship Association （CJFA）， expressing their support for China’s stand on early normalization and this became an irresistible historical trend.

On August 21， 1971， Kenzo Matsumura， initiator of the memorandum trade， passed away； the following day， Wang Guoquan， then President of the CPAFFC and Vice President of the CJFA， went to Japan as a special envoy of Premier Zhou to offer condolences. Before the delegation left Beijing， Premier Zhou told them their task was to pave the way for normalization of diplomatic relations. During their four-day stay in Japan， the delegation conducted extensive contacts with people of various circles and made new friends.

On October 25， 1971 the United Nations passed a resolution restoring the legitimate seat of the People’s Republic of China in all the organizations related to it. The then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato was forced to resign on June 17， 1972. By this time， the demand of restoration of diplomatic relations with China had already become an irresistible trend in Japan.

After taking office on July 7， 1972， the new Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka pledged to “speed up the normalization of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China so as to promote diplomacy of peace in a turbulent world situation” and he fully understood the Chinese Government’s three principles for such restoration. Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ohira also expressed his determination to work for the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations.

On July 9， responding to Tanaka’s commitment to normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations， Premier Zhou said “This is to be welcomed”. At the time there were many different opinions in Japan and Tanaka was faced with numerous difficulties， it was this definite and prompt response that played a key role in the significant breakthrough in China-Japan relations.

On September 21， it was announced that Prime Minister Tanaka would pay a visit to China from September 25 to 29， and that， through talks between the heads of state， Japan-China relations that had long been in an abnormal state were to be normalized and relations of peace and friendship formed. On September 29， the two governments signed the China-Japan Joint Statement. Thus， the unremitting efforts of “promoting governmental relations through people-to-people contacts” made by friendly personages of various circles for over 20 years were ultimately successful.

When meeting with Japanese friends， Chinese leaders often quoted this old saying “When you drink the water， think of those who dug the well”. Chairman Mao， Premier Zhou and other Chinese leaders spoke highly of the Japanese friends who had made precious contributions to China-Japan friendship and normalization of diplomatic relations and even sacrificed their lives， and educated the Chinese people never to forget old friends. The signing of the China-Japan Joint Statement and the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations in 1972 were the results of 20 years of hard work of both Chinese and Japanese people， and crystallization of painstaking efforts and wisdom of the statesmen of the older generation and foresighted personages of both countries， which need to be cherished dearly and carefully maintained.

Comrade Deng Xiaoping’s visit to Japan and the signing of Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty solidify the road of peace

and friendship

From October 22 to 29， 1978， Comrade Deng Xiaoping paid an official visit to Japan， the first by a Chinese leader. On October 23， Deng and the then Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda attended the ceremony of exchange of instruments of ratification of the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty.

This was a continuation and development of the China-Japan Joint Statement. When the two governments had talks on the restoration of their diplomatic relations， Premier Zhou already suggested the name of “treaty of peace and friendship” so as to differentiate it from ordinary peace treaties， and this met with full approval from the Japanese side. The Joint Statement provided that “With a view to solidifying and developing the relations of peace and friendship， the two governments will enter into negotiations for the purpose of concluding a treaty of peace and friendship”. The Treaty starts with the affirmation that “the Joint Statement is the basis for the relations of peace and friendship between the two countries， and all the principles stipulated in the Joint Statement must be strictly observed.” Another content is that neither country “should seek hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region or in any other regions of the world and each is opposed to efforts by any other country or group of countries to establish such hegemony”. This is the well-known anti-hegemony clause.

Comrade Deng Xiaoping’s visit to Japan showed the great importance the Chinese Government attached to the bilateral relationship and was warmly welcomed by the Japanese Government and the public. During the visit， Deng had a historic meeting with Japanese Emperor Hirohito. They appraised the far-reaching significance of the Treaty and expressed their wishes of putting an end to the past and looking forward to the future. In addition to his talks with Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda， Deng Xiaoping also met with Masayoshi Ohira and attended receptions held by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the House of Councilors， economic circles and friendship-with-China organizations. At the press conference in Tokyo， a Japanese reporter raised a question about the Diaoyu Islands. Deng Xiaoping replied： “You call these islands the Senkaku Islands， while we call them the Diaoyu Islands. From this we can see that we have different positions on the issue. In talks on normalization of the diplomatic relations， both sides agreed to shelve the issue. When signing the Treaty of Peace and Friendship， both sides also agreed not to involve this issue. However， some people attempt to quibble about it so as to hamper the development of bilateral relations. In our view， it was wise for the two governments to avoid this issue. It doesn’t matter if we put aside the issue for some time， even for ten years. The younger generation will be wiser than us， and will find a way acceptable to both sides to solve the problem in the future.” The press conference was a great success. At the end of the reception， all those present gave Deng Xiaoping a standing ovation lasting several minutes. It showed his reply was understood and approved by most Japanese people at that time.

Referring again to the old saying， “When you drink the water， think of those who dug the well”， Comrade Deng Xiaoping earnestly practiced this maxim. Before leaving Beijing， Deng had said he would definitely visit former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka and the families of those deceased friends who had made contributions to China-Japan relations. At that time， Tanaka was under house arrest because of the Lockheed scandal， so many Japanese avoided him， and in Japan there were some criticisms of Deng’s intention. However， Deng said that the attitude of some Japanese towards Tanaka was Japan’s internal affairs， which would not， in the least， affect the historical contributions he had made in normalizing diplomatic relations. We should not forget this old friend. On the morning of the following day after the ceremony of exchange of instruments of ratification of the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty concluded， Deng and Liao Chengzhi， as well as main members of his entourage， went to Tanaka’s home. Tanaka， together with his wife， daughter， son-in-law， grandson and granddaughter， greeted Deng at the gate. The scene was very touching. Deng Xiaoping invited Tanaka to visit China again， and the latter also expressed his wish for a visit one day. Even during illness， he didn’t give up his thought of going to China. Following closely China’s reform and opening up led by Deng Xiaoping， every day he outlined with a red pencil relevant news in the newspapers and then asked his daughter to clip them. Every day Makiko Tanaka helped her father in rehabilitation， hoping that he could realize his wish to visit China again. It was not until 1992， on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations， that Tanaka realized his long-cherished wish. He said happily that at last he could see with his own eyes the correctness of the decision he had made. Tanaka’s visit to China brought a satisfactory conclusion to the activities in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations.

Comrade Deng Xiaoping visited Japan with the purpose of learning from it. The trip was made just before the convocation of the epoch-making Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China， at which the historical policy decision was made to shift the focus of Party work to the construction of socialist modernization. During his visit， Deng Xiaoping， always keeping in mind China’s “four modernizations”， said repeatedly that he had come to Japan to learn advanced technologies and experiences. In his short eight-day stay， he visited three large Japanese enterprises， namely， Panasonic Corporation， Nippon Steel Corporation and Nissan Motor Co.， Ltd.， where he learned of the advanced technology and management concepts in use and forged deep friendship with Japanese entrepreneurs represented by such men as Konosuke Matsushita. He was always the first to get down to the hotel lobby before every appointment and always left on time. He said： “The Japanese hosts worked out our daily schedule by minutes and seconds， unlike us who made plans in a general timeframe like what to do in the morning or afternoon. We should no longer do things so casually.” On the Shinkansen bullet train， he was interviewed by a Japanese correspondent， who asked him about his impressions， and was told that China needed such a speed. He also said with deep feeling： “Now， I understand what modernization is”.

Deng Xiaoping’s visit to Japan achieved great success in enhancing mutual trust and laying the foundation for China-Japan relations of friendship and cooperation. In China’s reform and opening up that followed， Japan played a valuable and irreplaceable role in providing aid for national construction and modernization. Meanwhile， Japan also benefited greatly. Henceforth， the China-Japan relationship entered a new stage of friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Messages for the road ahead in China-Japan relations and the

60th anniversary of the CPAFFC

Looking back on the past， we can find that every progress in China-Japan friendship in the postwar period was made with the unremitting efforts of the older generation of both countries who had conquered difficulties and who firmly believed that China-Japan friendship was an irresistible trend and common aspiration of the two peoples. They withstood pressure and even sacrificed their precious lives. In this process and even until today， there have been people who don’t like China-Japan friendship， deny history and create and aggravate contradictions between our two countries so as to obstruct the process of developing friendship and cooperation between our two countries. However， it is my firm conviction that both Chinese and Japanese people know clearly that friendship and cooperation will bring common prosperity and that any unfounded speculation and willful slanders will be seen through eventually.

Because of the reasons known to all， the current China-Japan relationship is faced with the grimmest situation since the normalization of diplomatic relations. It is really distressing. Looking forward to the future， we should make good preparations to cope with all kinds of difficulties， and at the same time reaffirm our conviction of China-Japan friendship， unite all friendly forces and push forward the development of China-Japan relations. The comrades of the CPAFFC can play a great role in this regard.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the CPAFFC. Here， I would like to express my sincere congratulations. I hope that all the staff of the Association will keep up their efforts， continue to carry forward the glorious tradition of promoting official ties through people-to-people contacts， and persistently carry on friendly exchanges with all countries of the world including Japan so as to create a good external environment for our country’s socialist construction and modernization.

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