FM hopes for peaceful development between China, Japan

China hopes Japan can partner with China in supporting each other's peaceful development and avoid pitting itself against its neighbors, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.

Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress, Wang said this year marks the 50th anniversary of China normalizing diplomatic relations with Japan, thus it is a key opportunity for both sides to reflect on their history and ties.

In the last five decades, China-Japan dialogue and cooperation have expanded, bringing much prosperity to people from both countries, he said. However, there are some people from Japan that don't want China to develop, nor do they wish to see stable China-Japan relations.

Therefore, Wang expressed his hopes Japan will keep bilateral relations on the right track.

"It is important to truly abide by the principles and spirit of the four China-Japan political documents, and implement such important common consensus such as the two countries should 'be partners, not threats', and 'support each other's peaceful development'," Wang said.

"These are crucial for bilateral ties to develop in the direction of peace and friendship," he added.

Wang urged Japan not to go against the trend of the times or take on unnecessary risks based on other parties' desires, and avoid pitting itself against its neighbor.