Recapping 50 years of China-Japan relations: What the future holds

BEIJING, Sept. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties:

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties, which serves as a significant opportunity for the two countries to review the past and take a look into the future. In September 1972, China and Japan first signed a joint communique; several years later, the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed after approval by legislative authorities. Different from how China established diplomatic relationships with other countries like the U.S., the Soviet Union and South Korea, this "two-step mode", a pivotal political decision, embodied the strategic insights and political courage of the statesmen of the elder generation of the two countries. It also reflects the oriental wisdom with which the two countries seek common ground while reserving differences in pursuit of harmony and peace. The normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties ushered in half a century of peace, friendship and cooperation for the two countries, bringing huge benefits to both countries and their peoples, while contributing enormously to the peace, stability and development of Asia and the world.

Since negotiations commenced between China and Japan, the latter has made solemn pledges to China that "there is only one China in the world" and "Taiwan is an inseparable part of China." This position is captured in the four political documents and a series of important consensus between China and Japan. The Taiwan question is essential to the political foundation and fundamental trust between China and Japan. Proper handling of this question was the precondition and foundation for the normalization of the two countries' diplomatic ties, and for a positive outlook on China-Japan relations.

China and Japan are neighbors in east Asia, and it's not rare for neighbors to have frictions. But the key lies in how they cope with it. Countries should honor their commitments in foreign policy; the political consensus of "being cooperative partners and not threats to each other" should also be upheld.

In Confucius' Analects, there reads a line, "At fifty, I knew the decrees of heaven." Now that China-Japan diplomatic ties have reached their 50th anniversary, the two countries should be the masters of their own future: Draw lessons from historical experience where "cooperation benefits both and collision harms both", stick to the original aspiration of diplomatic normalization, level up dialogue and other channels of communications, deepen cooperation in various fields, and jointly create another fifty years of peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit for the two countries.

China Mosaic
https://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm 

Recapping 50 years of China-Japan relations: What the future holds
https://www.china.org.cn/video/2022-09/29/content_78444050.htm 

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SOURCE China.org.cn