Japan´s Abe visits China, "turning point" in relations 

Source: Xinhuanet

10-09-2006 08:37

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BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's top leaders host the first summit talks Sunday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is making his first foreign visit since taking office on Sept. 26, and described it as a "turning point" in declining China-Japan relations.

"Your ongoing visit is serving as a turning point in the China-Japan relations and I hope it would also serve as a new starting point for the improvement and development of bilateral ties," Chinese President Hu Jintao told Abe.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao gave a red-carpet welcome for Abe's visit on Sunday afternoon, which was honored by a 19-gun cannon salute, before holding talks with the 52-year-old new Japanese prime minister.

"Recently, China and Japan reached a consensus on overcoming the political obstacle affecting bilateral relationship and promoting friendly and cooperative relationship, which comes up with the prime minister's visit, opening 'a window of hope'," said Premier Wen.

China-Japan relations soured over former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's persistent visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Japanese class-A war criminals of the World War II are honored among the country's war dead.

Abe is the first Japanese leader visiting China in five years.

President Hu said China-Japan relations faced difficulties because an "individual Japanese leader" kept visiting the war shrine. "That was not what we are willing to see," Hu said.

"I hope the stalemate in Chinese-Japanese relations will come to an end and I believe this visit will turn a new leaf for Chinese-Japanese ties," Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo said.

China's stance has been consistent with regard to China-Japan relations.

"China and Japan must look at and handle bilateral relations from strategic and long-term perspectives, follow the goal of peaceful coexistence, generation-to-generation friendship, reciprocal cooperation and common development so as to push forward bilateral ties," said Hu.

Hu said in March this year that the difficult situation in China-Japan relationship was not caused by the Chinese side or the Japanese people. The major obstacle in China-Japan relationship was Japanese leader's insistence on visiting the shrine.