The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website reported on November 30. On November 30, 2020, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video speech at the opening ceremony of the 16th Beijing-Tokyo Forum.
Wang Yi said that I have just concluded official visits to Japan and South Korea. During the visit to Japan, both China and Japan confirmed that they must follow the spirit of the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries, face the future, and firmly build China-Japan relations that meet the requirements of the new era. The visit also reached five important consensuses and six concrete results. Among them, the “fast channel” for personnel exchanges was officially launched today, which is believed to provide important support for accelerating cooperation in resuming work and production and helping economic recovery in the context of the epidemic.
Wang Yi said that the new crown epidemic has deeply felt that mankind is a community with a connected destiny, and it has once again demonstrated the traditional friendship between the people of China and Japan. We will not forget that at the beginning of the outbreak in China, all walks of life in Japan actively donated anti-epidemic materials. “Mountains and rivers are different, the wind and the moon are in the same sky”, these words of true feelings make people who are desperately fighting with the virus feel warm. After the epidemic broke out in Japan, the Chinese people also felt it, and reciprocated. From this, we also recall the strong love between the two peoples during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China and the 2011 East Japan earthquake. The family is in trouble, the neighbors help each other. Whenever and wherever we are, we will remember how important it is to have a good neighbor, and we will be grateful to the people of the two countries who have dedicated themselves to the friendship between China and Japan but are unknown.
Wang Yi said that people-to-people friendship has always been an important cornerstone of the development of China-Japan relations. However, the current emotional contrast between the two peoples deserves our attention and reflection. Both China and Japan share broad common interests, but there are also some contradictions and differences, which need to be properly grasped and handled. For the common interests of both parties, we must continue to expand and promote them to become a solid bond connecting the two sides. Regarding differences and sensitive issues, we should put them in appropriate positions and conduct constructive management and control. On the internal affairs of the other side, we must adhere to mutual respect and embody the understanding and tolerance as close neighbors.
Wang Yi emphasized that in the new era of informatization and intelligence, the public and social media play an important role in the mutual recognition and emotional interaction of the two peoples, and they also bear special responsibilities.
One is the pursuit of truth. The media of the two countries should not deliberately tailor when reporting on each other’s country, but should fully demonstrate the actual situation. Today, China wins the battle against poverty with the power of the whole country, eradicating absolute poverty for the first time in history; builds ecological civilization with new development concepts, firmly follows the path of green, low-carbon, and sustainable development; The political style is clearer. Independent surveys conducted by multiple international organizations show that the Chinese people’s satisfaction with the party and government has been above 90% for many years. These living facts must and should be objectively presented on the Japanese media.
The second is to convey goodwill. “Peace is the most valuable” and “goodness-oriented” are the moral creeds that the two peoples have followed since ancient times, and they are also journalistic ethics that the media of the two countries should pursue. As a social tool, the media affects whether the people of the two countries can live in peace and be friendly for generations. We should overcome the differences and differences in the social systems and concepts of the two countries, and adopt a more tolerant and friendly attitude to promote the two peoples to better understand and recognize each other.
The third is to create the future together. The world is undergoing a century of change. The media of the two countries should think deeply about how to make the world better and better, and people get closer and closer instead of alienating each other and suspicion. Asia, where China and Japan are located, has become the most dynamic development sector in the world, and is committed to building a community of shared future for joint development. It is hoped that the media of the two countries will look forward to the future, gather the positive energy of Sino-Japanese cooperation, and show the new vision for the development of Asia and the world.
The “Beijing-Tokyo Forum” was founded in 2005 and is held once a year in Beijing and Tokyo alternately. It is a higher-level and larger-scale interactive exchange platform between the two countries. The theme of this forum is “The international order after the epidemic and the role of China and Japan.”
