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BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The annual Beijing-Tokyo Forum has concluded in Beijing without any major consensus. Chinese, Japanese officials and experts are still divided over key issues, including interpretation over historical facts in World War 2 and Japan's security policies. The forum has been co-held by the non-government organizations of both countries, in a bid to improve the political relations through public diplomacy.
Under the theme "Difficulties and Solutions", the Beijing-Tokyo Forum had high hopes of narrowing the gap between diplomatic policies of China and Japan.
A written consensus was originally scheduled to be released, as the forum wrapped up at noon on Sunday.
But so far, the two sides still seem largely divided.
"We have the same aim to improve relations, but not the same methods. Normally, we would have one draft under discussion. But now, perhaps because both sides are very active in improving the situation, we have two drafts going in parallel. That means it will take much longer for us to discuss and reach agreement," Former Chinese Amassador to Japan Chen Jian said.
The Japanese participants say the absence of a written consensus is mostly because the two sides have issues over the wording, though the passages causing disagreements have not been disclosed.
"It is not a must for the annual forum to have a written consensus each year. We managed to publish a consensus in years like 2013 because the issue of the Diaoyu Islands or Sentaku Islands raised tensions in the East China Sea, which obliged us to reach the consensus, that China and Japan did not want to go to war again. But this year, there is no external urgency for us to publish a consensus," Yasushi Kudo, Japanese co-organizer of Beijing-Tokoyo Forum, said.
The forum comes following a joint public opinion survey of China and Japan, which suggests a "silver lining" in the rocky bilateral relations.
The survey shows that an overwhelming 80 percent of citizens from both countries still feel negative about the other side. But what's positive is that the percentage of people who feel negative is slowly declining, down from the highest point of over 90 percent in 2013.
According to the survey, most Chinese people said they didn't like Japan because of the country's attitude towards the events of the Second World War, as well as the current territorial disputes over the Diaoyu Islands. And the top reason for Japanese people not to like China, is the Chinese government's criticism over Japan's policies towards history.
"People today don't understand history well, whether it's their own or others. It's an irresponsible attitude. How can we solve problems under such conditions? To be frank, I don't think the current situation between China and Japan could or should continue in the long run. People of the two countries should open their hearts, establish a new sense of common purpose, and try their best to promote relations," Former Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda said.
Sino-Japanese relations have worsened sharply since late 2012, when Japan unilaterally nationalized the Diaoyu Islands.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has amended the country's post-war pacifist Constitution, to lift the ban for Japan to use force overseas.
Japan's recent moves are seen by many Chinese as a challenge to the post-war world order, which threatens China's security and regional peace.
These issues were also been fiercely argued upon on the Beijing-Tokyo Forum, with both sides still maintaining their own stances.
Despite the absense of a written consensus, both sides say the discussions and debates themselves are a positive result of the forum. Analysts say that candid talks between the Chinese and Japanese people are useful in avoiding serious miscalculations between the governemnts of two of the world's most powerful economies.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
