'Old friends' vow to work together to aid stability

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By Jiao Xiaoyang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-25 08:16

Premier Wen Jiabao met with his "old friend" Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on Friday, and both agreed to maintain the favorable atmosphere in bilateral relations and work together to stabilize the financial market.

"We are old friends," Wen told Aso, recounting his visit to Tokyo last year when Aso was foreign minister in Shinzo Abe's cabinet.

Wen welcomed Aso in joining the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship "despite his busy agenda shortly after assuming office". It showed Aso's high concern for Asia-Europe cooperation and Sino-Japanese ties, Wen said.

"In the face of the global financial crisis, China and Japan should enhance dialogue and coordination and stabilize the financial market, which is vitally important to Asia's financial stability," Wen said.

He also called for "cherishing the hard-earned favorable situation" in bilateral relations, achieved through years of effort.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing had been uneasy, and the situation hit rock bottom during the 2001-06 premiership of Junichiro Koizumi. But leaders of China and Japan have since been keen to repair relations and both countries agreed the ice has now thawed.

"China is willing to join hands with Japan to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, expand friendly exchanges and continue to push forward bilateral ties," Wen said.

China is willing to cooperate with Japan on food safety with a responsible manner, he said, and called on the two sides to work together to solve the remaining issues on cooperation in the East China Sea.

Aso said Japan also hopes to strengthen cooperation with China on issues such as food safety and the East China Sea.

After the meeting, the two leaders attended the signing ceremony of a consular convention and the exchange of notes on a jurisdiction assistance agreement.

Following his talks with Wen, Aso met President Hu Jintao, who said bilateral ties are "at a new historic starting point", and called on both sides to remain on the right track.

Japan's Kyoto News reported that in the meeting with Hu, Aso proposed to open a hotline for the frequent exchanges of opinions, and that the two sides are expected soon to reach agreement on the proposal.

Agencies contributed to the story

(China Daily 10/25/2008 page1)