(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-05 07:10

President Hu Jintao said he hoped to "meet old friends and make new friends" during his upcoming visit to Japan, and that the trip will have the atmosphere of a "warm spring".

Hu, who is scheduled to reach Japan tomorrow and stay until Saturday, made the remarks yesterday during an interview with journalists from 16 Japanese media organizations stationed in Beijing.

"I expect to meet with the Japanese Emperor, exchange in-depth views with Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo on bilateral relations and other issues of common concern, and have extensive contact with Japanese people from different walks of life," he said.

He also said he "wished for a warm spring for the friendship between the two peoples".

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, and Hu said fruitful results have been achieved in the past three decades.

"The results have brought substantial benefits to the two peoples and made an important contribution to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world," Hu said.

"The visit is aimed at enhancing mutual trust, friendship and cooperation, making programs for the future, and comprehensively pushing forward bilateral strategic and reciprocal relations."

He said it is normal for the two countries to have different views during the development of bilateral relations.

"What's more important is that the two sides handle issues with a candid and sincere attitude, conduct friendly exchanges, seek common ground while shelving differences, jointly promote people-to-people friendship and safeguard the development of bilateral relations."

Hu said he believed the issue of joint exploration of oil and natural gas resources in the East China Sea, lying between China and Japan, could be resolved.

"With joint efforts, we can definitely find a solution acceptable to both sides and the issue can undoubtedly be resolved," he said.

"The most effective way to enhance friendship between the two peoples is to continuously strengthen friendly contacts between the two peoples, especially the youth."

Hu's visit will be the first by a Chinese president to Japan in a decade, and is seen as a step to further improve once-chilly ties, which started to warm with the "ice-breaking" visit by former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to China in October 2006.

It was followed by the "ice-thawing" Japan trip by Premier Wen Jiabao in April last year and Fukuda's "spring-heralding" visit to China last December.

Xinhua

(China Daily 05/05/2008 page1)