Military exchanges key to building mutual trust

By Wu Jieming (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-18 07:57

China and Japan are friendly neighbors separated only by a narrow strip of water. To strengthen communication and cooperation in defense and actively conduct mutual exchanges between their two military serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and will be beneficial to the peace and stability of Asia and even the world as a whole.

It will also play an irreplaceable role in enhancing strategic mutual trust between the two and pushing forward bilateral relations.

Since the late 1970s when China and Japan kicked off their military exchanges, the ties between the two countries' military have been advancing smoothly except for a few years after 1989, when the two countries saw their military exchanges' momentum come to a halt.

But the high-level military exchanges resumed in 1995 after the visit to China by a senior official of the Japanese Defense Agency.

Such kind of exchanges achieved an important breakthrough in particular in 1997, the 25th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and in 1998, the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

To commemorate the two historical occasions, the two countries realized the mutual visit to each other by their defense ministers and chiefs of the general staff respectively and set up a defense consultation mechanism. The two sides have also conducted various kinds of exchanges and cooperation in hospitals, schools and the academic field.

The issuing of a joint military communiqu between the two countries in August last year when vice-chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission Cao Gangchuan paid a visit to Japan has laid down a solid foundation for bilateral exchanges and cooperation in defense affairs over the next stage.

Last Sept, China extended to Japan an invitation for its military delegation to observe the country's military exercise, the first of its kind in the history of bilateral ties.

Not long after , the Chinese naval ship "Shenzhen" paid a portal trip to Japan, the first trip by a Chinese military ship to the neighboring country.

This June, the Japanese naval Self Defense Forces vessel Sazanami paid a return portal trip to the southern province of Guangdong.

The ever-deepening military exchanges between the two countries over the past years as the result of improved bilateral ties have effectively strengthened mutual trust and communications between the two sides.

We sincerely hope the two countries can carry forward such friendly military relations and then make new progress. We are also confident that the holding of this forum will further strengthen the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples and promote more efficient exchanges and cooperation between the two military.

The author is a professor with the University of National Defense