Special report: Premier Wen visits ROK, Japan

     BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's official visit to South Korea and Japan is a great success in strengthening mutual political trust and promoting the healthy and steady development of bilateral relations, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Friday.

    Wen paid official visit to South Korea and Japan from April 10 to 13. This is the first time a Chinese premier has visited the two countries in seven years.

    Li said Wen's visit further deepened the all-round partnership of cooperation between China and South Korea. Over the past 15 years, Sino-South Korean political trust has been deepened, exchanges and cooperation have been expanded and coordination in dealing with regional and international affairs has been strengthened.

    During the visit, Wen said the two nations should strengthen strategic communication, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, broaden common interests and push forward the friendly bilateral relations.

    South Korean leaders said that South Korea and China are all-round cooperation partners, which share the same goal in developing their bilateral relations, and that Premier Wen's visit has pushed this relationship to a new high.

    Li said during his official visit to Japan, Wen and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe reached consensus on the contents of forging a strategic, mutually beneficial relationship.

    He said that Wen's visit was described as an "ice thawer" in Sino-Japanese ties following an "ice-breaking" trip by Abe to China last October.

    Li said Wen's visit fulfilled mutual exchanges between leaders of the two nations and ushered in a new good beginning for Sino-Japanese ties and enhanced people's confidence in future ties between the two countries.

    Wen expounded the contents of the strategic, mutually beneficial relationship in the fields of politics, economy, security, culture as well as regional and international issues. He pointed out that the three political documents are the bedrock for China-Japan relations.

    He stressed the improvement and further development of Sino-Japanese relations will not only do good to the two countries, but also do good to the world as a whole.

    Wen noted that China and Japan should make joint efforts to promote mutual political trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen dialogue and exchanges on defense security, and enhance cultural and personnel exchanges.

    Abe said that Wen's visit has pushed the bilateral relations to a higher level, adding that both sides should establish relationship of mutual trust and maintain high-level visits between the two countries' leaders and people from all circles.

    On the Taiwan issue, Abe said Japan sticks to its positions stated in the three political documents between the two countries, adding that his country adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence."

    The two sides also agreed to speed up the process of negotiations on the issue of the East China Sea and try to find a resolution acceptable to both sides at an early date, so as to make the East China Sea "a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation."

    Li said Wen's visit conveyed a message that the development of Sino-Japanese friendly cooperation relations conforms to the trend of the times and serves the common interests of the two nations.

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    BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's official visit to South Korea and Japan has expanded exchanges between China and the two countries and deepened the feelings of the peoples toward each other, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Friday.

    Wen paid an official visit to South Korea and Japan from April 10 to 13. This is the first time a Chinese premier has visited the two countries in seven years. Full story

    OSAKA, Japan, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Friday that the Chinese government will continue to support a closer relationship with West Japan, the second largest economic circle in Japan.

    West Japan, or the Kansai region, plays an important role in the Sino-Japanese economic relationship, Wen said at the meeting with Osaka Governor Fusae Ohta along with regional political and business dignitaries. Full story

China, Japan agree to boost cultural exchanges

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe attend the opening ceremony of the China-Japan Culture and Sports Exchange Year in Tokyo, April 12, 2007. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    TOKYO, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Thursday to push forward cultural exchanges, which serve as bonds linking the two countries.

    Addressing the opening ceremony of the China-Japan Culture and Sports Exchange Year, Wen said that economy and culture have been the two bonds linking China and Japan in their friendly exchanges over the past more than 2,000 years.

    He described culture as the language of the soul and art as the carrier of the people's feeling, saying that "culture and art can bridge the souls of the peoples."  Full story

China, Japan launch high-level economic dialogue mechanism

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe attend the establishment of a mechanism of high-level economic dialogue, in Tokyo, capital of Japan on April 12, 2007. (Xinhua Photo/Fan Rujun) Photo Gallery>>>

     TOKYO, April 12 (Xinhua) -- China and Japan jointly launched a high-level economic dialogue mechanism here on Thursday to further promote economic and trade ties between the two countries.

    The first meeting of the economic dialogue mechanism is expected to be held this year in Beijing.

    Strengthening economic cooperation is a major component of the Sino-Japanese strategic, mutually beneficial relationship, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who co-chaired the launching ceremony of the mechanism with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  Full story