China Scholar Calls Japan Premier’s Visit “Journey to Usher in Spring”
Text of report by Chinese news agency Zhongguo Xinwen She
["Newsletter" by ZXS reporter Sun Yuting: "Yasuo Fukuda's Visit to China, 'Journey To Usher in Spring' - Interview With Professor Liu Jiangyong of Institute of International Studies of Qinghua University"]
Beijing, 27 Dec (ZXS) – During an interview by a ZXS reporter, Professor Liu Jiangyong, an expert on Japan, of the Institute of International Studies of Qinghua University, called Yasuo Fukuda’s Visit to China a “journey to usher in Spring” in China-Japan relations following Shinzo Abe’s “ice-breaking journey” in October last year and Premier Wen Jiabao’s “ice-melting journey” in spring this year.
Liu Jiangyong said that during an interview by a Chinese reporter shortly after Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda took office, he said that spring has come to Japan-China relations. Now, Yasuo Fukuda has come at the end of the year. As far as Japan is concerned, New Year is equivalent to China’s Spring Festival and therefore, it is the time to usher in spring.
Liu Jiangyong said that during his visit, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda may again officially put forward to the Chinese leader an invitation to visit Japan. President Hu Jintao will visit Japan next year and the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries will continue warm up, which is an important indication that spring has come to China-Japan relations. In this sense, Yasuo Fukuda’s visit is a way-paving journey and a journey to usher in spring.
The year 2008 will be the 30th anniversary of the conclusion of the “China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship” and the 10th anniversary of the publication of the “China-Japan Joint Declaration on Building Partnership of Friendship and Cooperation for Peace and Development.” It will also be the “Year of China-Japan Youth Friendly Exchange” and the year of the Beijing Olympic Games. Liu Jiangyong said the year 2008 will be an opportune year for the development of China-Japan relations.
Regarding the current visit, Liu Jiangyuong said that before he was elected, Yasuo Fukuda already decided to visit China within the year after he was elected. He was ready to do so after he took office. However, because of various reasons, he was not able to visit China. Besides, the Diet was again postponed. Therefore, the end of this year has become the last chance for Yasuo Fukuda to make good his decision on visiting China within this year.
Not long ago, Chinese defence minister visited Japan, Chinese warships made port calls to Japan, Japan’s rice was imported to China, and China-Japan high-level economic dialogue was held for the first time. These contents of the China-Japan Joint Communique published during Wen Jiabao’s visit to Japan are being implemented one after another. According to Liu Jiangyong, Yasuo Fukuda has attached importance to the establishment of strategic mutually beneficial relations with China and has been more and more sincere and active.
On the one hand, on the historical issue, Yasuo Fukuda clearly expressed that he will not pay respects at the Yasukuni Shrine and will not do things the neighbouring countries do not like. This is a sharp contrast with Junichiro Koizumi.
On the other hand, Yasuo Fukuda has no longer mentioned the so- called “value-oriented diplomacy,” the “G4″ and the “arc of freedom and prosperity,” but has paid greater attention to directly and positively developing relations of friendship and cooperation with China.
Liu Jiangyong said that Yasuo Fukuda is China’s old friend and he himself is not unfamiliar with China. When Takeo Fukuda, his father, was Japanese prime minister, he made the important and correct decision on the conclusion of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1978. Takeo Fukuda also put forward the so-called “Fukudaism”: Japan does not want to become a military power, but wants to make contribution to peace and prosperity of Southeast Asia and the world and to establish mutual-trust relations of mutual affinity with various ASEAN countries.
Liu Jiangyong said that Yasuo Fukuda was at that time his father’s secretary and “Fukudaism” had a relatively great influence on him, who has inherited his father’s cause. Therefore, after he took office, Yasuo Fukuda put forward the “diplomacy of creating peace” and paid great attention to developing relations with various other Asian countries. Yasuo Fukuda held that Japan-US relations and Japan-China relations are two main pillars of Japan’s diplomacy and that it is imperative to substantiate and develop strategic mutually beneficial relations between Japan and China and seek the establishment of mutual trust. Now, he has come to visit China despite many claims on his time. This has also given expression to the great importance which the Fukuda cabinet has attached to Japan- China relations.
Liu Jiangyong pointed out that as viewed from the overall diplomatic layout of Japan, Japan-US relations remain to be Japan’s diplomatic basis at present, but Japan’s relations with China in the trade and economic area are increasingly expanding. This year, China’s mainland will replace the United States to become Japan’s biggest trade partner. A relevant Japanese institution predicted that by 2015, China’s mainland will have replaced the United States to become Japan’s biggest foreign trade export market. Therefore, as far as Japan’s economy, which depends heavily on overseas markets, is concerned, China’s importance in the trade and economic area is self-evident.
Originally published by Zhongguo Xinwen She news agency, Beijing, in Chinese 27 Dec 07.
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