Common Ground for Sino-Japanese Ties

by+Zhou+Mingwei+President+of+CIPG

The Beijing-Tokyo Forum， launched in 2005， has developed into the most lasting and one of the most influential nongovernmental forums between China and Japan. Initially， the forum focused on topics concerning media organizations from the two countries. But now， an array of topics covering bilateral diplomacy， economics， trade， media and cultural exchange， and security are discussed at the forum， making it one of the most-recognized communication platforms among Chinese and Japanese elites. Over the past decade， the China-Japan relations underwent unprecedented strains and encountered some of the most difficult challenges since the normalization of their diplomatic ties. Adhering to its original purpose of improving nongovernmental exchange between China and Japan， the Beijing-Tokyo Forum has continued to aim at finding common ground through exchanging opinions of both Chinese and Japanese visionaries， providing reference points for governments of the two countries to formulate relevant policy， and promote mutual understandings of Chinese and Japanese people. It has become an important platform for the two sides to discuss topics that concern them both.

After 10 years of development， the forum has earned glowing recognition from both sides. However， it is facing challenges. Faced with the deteriorating China-Japan ties in recent years， how the Beijing-Tokyo Forum will continue becomes a pressing issue concerned by both sides. In this context， senior figures from both countries recommended China International Publishing Group （CIPG） sponsor the Chinese side of the forum for the next 10 years. This not only recognizes CIPGs efforts in improving Sino-Japanese communication over the past 60-plus years， but also conveys expectations for the forum to explore new topics and pinpoint solutions for troubled China-Japan ties and enhance mutual trust.

This is the first time that CIPG has hosted the Beijing-Tokyo Forum. The rich experience accumulated by the forum over the past decade is now our priceless wealth. Even if the forum faces many unprecedented challenges， we still have the confidence to make this years event a great success thanks to the big picture and important foundation of China-Japan relations.

Four Objectives

Pooling public voices is the first objective of the forum. The development of the China-Japan relations not only directly affects cooperation， peace， and common prosperity between the two countries， but also increasingly impacts their neighbors and Asia at large. People-to-people ex-changes have always played a significant role in improving bilateral ties between China and Japan. The Beijing-Tokyo Forum reflects the special function of nongovernmental communication between the two countries， and has become an important platform to pool voices from both sides about bilateral political relations， economic cooperation， and cultural exchange.

The second objective of the forum involves improving mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and Japanese people， enhancing political mutual trust between the two countries， and promoting long-term healthy development of their bilateral ties. Over the past decade， discordant and even destructive voices and moves resulting from some extreme factors harmed China-Japan relations from time to time， which to some extent damaged peopleto-people exchanges between the two countries and even political mutual trust. Closely associated to historical and territorial issues between the two countries， political mutual trust is considered significant to the foundation of Sino-Japanese relations. These issues are sensitive but inevitable. A major topic of the Beijing-Tokyo Forum is how to promote people-to-people friendship and improve political mutual trust between China and Japan on the basis of effective communication of opinions.

The third objective of the forum is pooling valuable suggestions for bilateral policies through face-to-face communication of participants from both sides on topics such as how to correctly evaluate fastgrowing China against the global backdrop and how to handle bilateral ties between China and Japan that are increasingly reliant on economics.

Moreover， the forum will play an active role in promoting stable， healthy development of China-Japan relations. The media has been assigned the unshakable responsibility of overcoming difficulties and problems hindering China-Japan ties. Positive attitudes from media organizations on both sides will help improve troubled bilateral ties. Therefore， how to enhance and promote the positive role of the media is also a major topic for the forum.

Historic Opportunity

This year is special for the BeijingTokyo Forum because it marks the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World AntiFascist War. The Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， triggered by Japanese militarist invasion of China， was a long， dark chapter of human history marked with tremendous losses. It was also a war in which the Chinese people fought for peace and achieved complete victory at a great cost. The contribution that the war of resistance against Japanese aggression made to world peace is worth commemorating forever， and will remain a driving force in safeguarding peace. Commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the war is expected to inspire many new topics at this years forum.

Over the 70 years since the end of World War II， factors promoting peace have continued fueling improvement of China-Japan relations. Meanwhile， some worrisome factors persisted. Whether China and Japan can safeguard the peaceful relationship since the end of World War II and ensure the long-term healthy development of bilateral ties depends on how they deal with new emerging problems. Some notable tendencies among certain factions of Japanese politicians have caused uncertainty for the peaceful development of Sino-Japanese ties.

Japans recent revision of its security bill stirred up wide concern among Japanese people from all walks of life. It was rare for Japanese public to react to the issue of peace in such a large scale and so deeply. Japanese people want their calls for peace to be heard not only by Japanese policymakers but also by the international community. In fact， their voices align with Chinese peoples aspirations for peaceful development and common prosperity， which will be a topic on which both sides can find common ground at this years forum. Although revising its security bill is an internal issue for Japan， the move affects regional security. We will keep a close watch on how the Japanese govern- ment and politicians interpret the results of World War II， the positions and attitudes they maintain about postwar international order， and how they treat the Japanese peoples call for peace.

Community of Shared Destiny

In the past， the several face-to-face meetings between heads of state of China and Japan played a critical role in improving bilateral ties. Efforts made by politicians and ordinary people of both sides also injected vitality into the improvement and development of China-Japan relations. Since February 2015， several Japanese delegations visited China and contributed to strengthening mutual understanding and solving problems in bilateral ties. In particular， a Japanese delegation of more than 3，000 members of financial， economic and cultural circles， led by Toshihiro Nikai， chairman of the Liberal Democratic Partys general council， visited China in May 2015. Chinese President Xi Jinping met members of the delegation and delivered an important speech in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. This was considered an important move to improve China-Japan relations. Many other recent efforts will also become topics at the forum.

The cooperation and exchange between China and Japan， the two largest economies in Asia， will not only directly affect the two countries themselves， but also exert far-reaching influence on the economic development of Asia and even the world. In this community of shared destiny， both countries should bear responsibility for the development of the regional economy and the stability of world economy. Cooperation will benefit them both， while conflict will only cause losses. The two countries are mutually dependent in economics， and their economic cooperation will influence the development of the regional economy and even global economy. From this perspective， the forum will discuss another new topic： How should China and Japan promote the common development of other economies in the region？

Countdown to 2015 Forum

In November 2014， China and Japan reached a four-point agreement on improving bilateral ties， which became a significant political foundation for future installments of the Beijing-Tokyo Forum. With efforts from both sides， this years forum will focus on four major topics： how to deepen bilateral political and diplomatic relations， how to inject new energy into the development of China-Japan economic cooperation， how to enhance mutual trust between Chinese and Japanese people through media communication and cultural exchange， and how to manage disputes and emergencies involving China and Japan and create positive factors for long-term stability and healthy development of bilateral ties.

The Beijing-Tokyo Forum is an annual event organized in turn by Chinese and Japanese sides. The forums Japanese sponsor， Genron NPO， is an organization committed to improving Sino-Japanese relations and highlighting major topics concerning the two countries， with hopes of promoting peaceful development of the China-Japan bilateral ties through the efforts of the people and media. Over the past decade， it has been dedicated to promoting opinion exchange and seeking common ground between the two sides. Genron NPO is just the partner we want. We would like to cooperate with Genron NPO to find more consensus and mutual understanding as we work together to host the forum for the next 10 years， enabling both sides to express their wishes and care about each others concerns. We are confident about our cooperation with Genron NPO and hope future forums will inherit the achievements of previous events while promoting innovation.