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BEIJING– China and Japan pledged on Friday to strengthen ties as the two countries meet at a "historic turning point", signing many deals, including a new currency exchange pact. $ 30 billion in the face of rising trade tensions with Washington.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also agreed that the two countries would work together to achieve denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.
The pacts were reached during Abe's three-day visit to Beijing as the two neighbors sought to identify new areas of cooperation and seek ways to promote confidence, which was sometimes fragile since the resumption of relations. in 1972.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said 500 deals were signed between Chinese and Japanese companies during the visit, reflecting the "promising prospects" for cooperation between the two countries.
"From competition to coexistence, bilateral relations between Japan and China have entered a new phase, and I want to move forward with Prime Minister Li," said Abe to the press after the meeting. meeting of the two men Friday morning.
The two countries are neighbors and partners, and will not become a threat to each other, said Abe after meeting with President Xi Jinping on Friday at the first large-scale Sino-Japanese summit since 2011. .
"With President Xi Jinping, I would like to open a new era for China and Japan," Abe said.
Xi said bilateral relations have returned on track and China will ensure that the positive momentum continues, according to state media.
"It's worth being cherished on both sides," Xi said.
The two sides should engage in a deeper strategic dialogue, Xi added, adding that exchanges between ordinary Japanese and Chinese citizens should also be intensified to promote better mutual understanding.
"Both sides must accurately grasp their respective strategic intentions and implement what has been agreed – that both sides become partners and that both sides do not threaten," said Xi Xi.
Abe invited Xi to visit Japan next year. Xi said he would "seriously consider" a visit, a Japanese government spokesman in Beijing told reporters.
"My impression is that President Xi has responded positively, we need to set a date now," he said.
TERRITORIAL CONFLICT
Abe returned to power in 2012, while Sino-Japanese relations were in tatters due to a feud over the islands of the East China Sea. The territorial dispute remains a major source of friction between the two countries.
Mr. Nishimura stated that Mr. Abe told Prime Minister Li during their meeting that there would be "no real improvement" in bilateral relations without "stability in the East China Sea" .
Japanese companies such as Toyota, major automakers, hope to see standardized relations with China to compete with their US and European rivals, while Beijing hopes that Tokyo will approve its ambitious Belt and Road program, an initiative that Xi said , will strengthen trade and transportation links with other countries.
Abe also said Tokyo was "determined" to normalize diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, but only if the preconditions were met, including denuclearization and the liberation of abducted Japanese citizens.
"Our two countries bear a great responsibility in achieving peace and stability in this region," Abe said.
Efforts to advance Sino-Japanese relations should "persevere relentlessly to prevent the appearance of new twists", so that previous efforts are not in vain, said Li at a meeting of 39, joint information with Abe on Friday.
"The Chinese side is willing to work with the Japanese side to return to a normal path and maintain the stable, sustainable and healthy development of bilateral relations," he said, adding that he had had frank discussions with Abe since his arrival on the issue of mutual concerns.
They reached a consensus, Li said, that the preservation of long-term healthy and stable relations between China and Japan is in line with the interests of both countries and the region and the world.
The move to strengthen economic ties came when China and the United States have been opposing each other's tariffs in recent months. Japan faces risks by exporting manufacturing equipment and electronic parts to China, which are used to manufacture finished products for the United States and other markets.
While Japan, concerned with the growth of Chinese naval power, wants closer economic ties with its main trading partner, it must manage this rapprochement without disturbing its main ally for security, the United States, with which it has its own business problems.
Prior to the meeting, China and Japan signed an agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation in the securities markets, including the creation of a list of trading funds for trading (ETF), and facilitating the clearance.
The two sides also signed a currency exchange agreement of up to 3,400 billion yen ($ 30.29 billion), valid until 2021. An agreement to create a yuan compensation bank has also been signed.
The two sides agreed that China and Japan should defend free trade and accelerate negotiations on the Regional Economic Partnership (RCEP) and a trade zone between China, Japan and Korea.
The RCEP is a free trade agreement proposed by China with Southeast Asia and various countries in the Pacific region, including Japan. ($ 1 = 112.2300 yen)
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