Beijing-Tokyo Forum:Building Healthy Long-term China-Japan Relations

From October 23 to 25， 2015， the 11th Beijing-Tokyo Forum， jointly sponsored by China International Publishing Group（CIPG） and Genron NPO， a Japanese nonprofit think tank， will be held in Beijing. Focused on healthy long-term development of China-Japan relations， this forum will host discussions on topics such as bilateral relations， economic and trade cooperation， media communication， and new Asian security concepts.

China and Japan are neighbors and the two largest economies in the region， and their bilateral relations are tremendously important. Through open dialogues on security exchange and crisis control reinforcement， the forum is expected to lead public opinion and inject positive energy to current China-Japan relations， according to Zhou Mingwei， president of CIPG， in a recent interview with China Pictorial.

Peace Is Most Precious for Neighbors

China and Japan are close neighbors separated by only a narrow strip of water. Since the 1972 normalization of bilateral ties， relations between China and Japan have witnessed a substantial development， but with plentiful ups and downs.“China-Japan relations are an important piece of China’s foreign relations，” opines Zhou. “But in the last 10 years， some longstanding obstacles have reappeared， which not only harm the relationship and trusts between two peoples， but also damage the political mutual trust between the two countries.” Zhou believes that political mutual trust is the most important ingredient in the foundation for China-Japan bilateral ties， which is closely related to historical issues and national issues.

Despite any negative long-standing knots in bilateral relations， China and Japan are highly dependent on each other in economics and trade. As two powerful Asian economies， China and Japan are important trade partners. In recent years， with profound changes in the global and regional situation， Asia becomes one of the most dynamic regions with the most potential.

“In a sense， a community of common destiny encompassing China and Japan has increasingly taken shape，” adds Zhou.“A peaceful relationship not only meets the aspiration of the two peoples， but also conforms to the general expectations of Asia and the international community.” He remarks that the 11th Beijing-Tokyo Forum aims to improve China-Japan relations， enhance political mutual trust， and maximize the potentials of the two countries in the same region and same economic realm， thanks to better communication and exchange of ideas at the forum.

Non-governmental Exchange as Key

“China-Japan friendship is rooted in the people， and the future of the bilateral relationship is in the hands of the people of the two countries，” declared President Xi Jinping when outlining basic points to improve and develop China-Japan ties during a May 23 speech in Beijing attended by a Japanese delegation of more than 3，000. In recent years， people-to-people exchanges have created avenues to improve bilateral relations. Statistics show that in 2014， nearly 5.57 million people from the two countries visited the other， an increase of 18.2 percent year-on-year. People from the both countries showed great interest in visiting， studying and exchanging with the other.

Zhou also believes China-Japan relations are rooted in the people. Contrasting many bilateral relationships， people-to-people exchanges have always played an important role in China-Japan ties. “Both during the first years after the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， when great difficulties existed in the bilateral relations， and in the process of normalizing diplomatic ties between the two countries， people-to-people exchanges played a crucial role，” says Zhou Mingwei.

As an important platform for voices from the two countries， the Beijing-Tokyo Forum hopes to build a communication platform that helps people from both sides gradually form an objective， comprehensive and rational understanding of each other， enhance mutual trust， and create a favorable social and public opinion environment to improve bilateral relations.

Promoting China-Japan Ties

The Beijing-Tokyo Forum， an annual large-scale international symposium alternating between Beijing and Tokyo， was jointly established in 2005 by China Daily and Genron NPO. For the past decade， the forum has attracted many celebrities from political， economic， diplomatic， security， cultural， and think tank fields. It has become the highest-level public diplomatic communication platform between China and Japan， improving China-Japan ties by enhancing public opinion and sponsoring high-level dialogues.

After 10 years of development， the forum has covered many more topics than ordinary media exchange， exerting a farreaching influence in terms of promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

As the second decade of the event dawns， what will be its highlights this year？ Zhou Mingwei reveals that in November 2014， China and Japan reached a four-point agreement to improve bilateral ties and since then， top leaders of the two countries have met twice， injecting new topics into the 2015 forum. This forum will use the four political documents signed between China and Japan since 1972 as well as the four points reached in the 2014 agreement as guidance to further cope with the new challenges and opportunities flavoring China-Japan ties.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-fascist War. In this special year， many countries， including China， are holding various commemorative activities to better learn from the past， cherish world peace， and work together for a better future. “China-Japan friendship not only benefits the two countries， but Asia and the whole world，” exclaims Zhou. “Remember history， so we can create the future； remember the war， so we can promote peace. I hope this forum will inspire more constructive thinking to ensure healthy longterm China-Japan relations.”