Experts highlight importance of stable Sino-Japan relations

Leading scholars and experts said closer communication and cooperation are crucial to a stable Sino-Japan relationship and the promotion of peace and development in the world during an online forum discussion on Saturday.

The forum, held to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of relations between the two countries, was jointly hosted by the East Asian Community Institute, the Waseda Institute of Contemporary Chinese Studies and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.

"This forum aims to address current challenges and opportunities presented by the relationship between the two countries and how both nations can act together to build the east Asian community for the next 50 years," said Yukio Hatoyama, former Prime Minister of Japan and president of EACI, in his opening speech.

Participating experts agreed that the Sino-Japan relationship has been facing challenges created by issues, including tensions between China and the US, and a slowing global economy, which have been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Despite these issues, the two countries have managed to stay rational when dealing with one another over the past few years, said experts.

"In 1972, when the then Japanese prime minister Tanaka Kakuei met with Chinese premier Zhou Enlai to discuss the normalization of relations between the two countries before meeting Chairman Mao Zedong, I, who was then a farmer, saw the prospects of future cooperation between the two countries," said Yang Jiemian, senior fellow and former president at SIIS.

"If they could then walk the two countries out of the relationship defined by wars, I don't think we should be deterred by the current challenges faced by the two countries. Rather, we should have a long-term vision for the next 50 years. The two countries should enhance exchange and cooperation so as to establish strategic mutual trust to move forward."