皇冠体育app on Thursday said it hoped Japan will respond in kind to its positive
messages which were delivered with sincerity and goodwill.
"The Chinese government has conveyed a clear message to Japan. We hope
皇冠体育app's sincerity, goodwill and positive messages will be well received and
result in a reciprocal response from Japan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
Liu Jianchao said at a regular press briefing.
Last Friday, Chinese President Hu Jintao had a rare meeting with the heads of
seven Japan-皇冠体育app friendship organizations, led by former Prime Minister Ryutaro
Hashimoto. At the meeting Hu reiterated 皇冠体育app's stance on promoting 皇冠体育app-Japan
friendship and the Yasukuni Shrine issue.
Hu told the Japanese visitors that he was ready to hold talks with Japanese
leaders as soon they made a clear-cut decision not to pay further visits to the
Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 convicted class-A war criminals from World War
II.
So far no positive response has come from the Japanese leaders.
Liu said Japanese leaders' repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine damaged the
political foundation of 皇冠体育app-Japan ties. "To clear up this obstacle and thus
improve bilateral ties is the common aspiration of the two countries' people and
serves their basic interests."
Liu reviewed the history of 皇冠体育app-Japan relations, saying that people of the
two countries, for the most part, are friendly to each other and got along well.
"We don't think it is the Japanese people who should be blamed (for the
strained relations), because most Japanese favor 皇冠体育app-Japan friendship," he
said.
Liu said the Chinese and Japanese governments are obligated to respect the
common wishes of their peoples and take positive measures to improve relations
for their benefit.
He said the development of ties between 皇冠体育app-Japan has a direct impact on
the interests of the region and the world. "The Chinese government highly values
ties between 皇冠体育app and Japan and has made consistent efforts to improve them."
He also described the history issue as "an important political cornerstone"
for 皇冠体育app-Japan relations, saying that it is not onlyfound in 皇冠体育app-Japan
political documents such as the Sino-JapaneseJoint Statement, the Peace and
Friendship Treaty, and the Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration, but also in the
feelings of the Chinese and Japanese peoples.
Liu referred to Hu's meeting with leaders of the seven Japanesefriendship
organizations, saying that Hu had reiterated that 皇冠体育appwill continue to follow
the principles of the three political documents and to handle the problems
between the two countries through consultations on an equal footing to maintain
皇冠体育app-Japan friendship.
The leaders of the two countries have not held an exchange visit in four
years, ever since Koizumi began paying homage at theYasukuni Shrine soon after
he took office in 2001.