BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Japan to promote regional peace and stability when meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Friday in Beijing.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, appreciated Fukuda, former chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, for his care about the development of the forum and positive contributions to it.
While the world faces intertwined changes and uncertainties and the factors of instability have increased significantly, Asia has remained peaceful and stable in general with a bright prospect for development, Wang said, adding that “the 21st century is the century of Asia.”
“I hope that Japan and other regional countries will do more things conducive to regional peace and stability, rather than the opposite, to jointly maintain peace and development in Asia,” he said.
The foreign minister said he hoped that the Japanese side would meet the Chinese side halfway and deal with obstacles to the normal development of bilateral relations, such as the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water discharge, properly.
He added that Japan should adhere to the established direction of peaceful development and work together to promote the stable and healthy development of bilateral ties.
Fukuda said that the expanding influence of Boao Forum for Asia shows that China’s promotion of good-neighborly diplomacy has increasingly achieved positive results.
Japan-China friendship is the common choice of the two countries, and Japanese enterprises hope to invest in and prosper in China, he told Wang.
Japan is willing to work with China to enhance mutual understanding, strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, jointly promote the strategic and mutually beneficial relationship, and work together to maintain the momentum of peace, stability and prosperity in Asia, he added.
