Senior legislator hopes youth exchanges to promote China-Japan ties

Source: Xinhua | 12-21-2008 09:40

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Wang Zhaoguo, a senior Chinese legislator, called for unremitting efforts of Chinese and Japanese youth to promote the friendship between the two countries here on Saturday.

Addressing a closing reception of the "China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth", Wang, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said that the leaders of both countries paid great attention to the youth exchange program by setting this activity in 2008, the year to mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty.

"The China-Japan friendship is the common undertaking of the two peoples, which needs the unremitting effort of the two peoples and the youth from the two countries," Wang said.

The youth from China and Japan should not only make joint effort to enhance mutual understanding and narrow the differences, but also have to build their own countries, push forward the bilateral ties and strive for the China-Japan friendship from generation to generation, Wang emphasized.

Wang met the Japanese youth delegation led by former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and former Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura before attending the reception.