Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with a Japanese delegation from major Japanese enterprises in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday voiced hope that Japan's business community will continue to work for the improvement and development of Sino-Japanese relations.
Li made the remarks while meeting with a Japanese delegation of more than 250 business leaders from major Japanese enterprises.
The delegation was led by Chair of the Japan Business Federation Sadayuki Sakakibara, President of the Japan-China Association on Economy and Trade Shoji Muneoka, and Chair of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Akio Mimura.
The healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations accords with the common interests of both sides, said Premier Li.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China -Japan diplomatic relations, and next year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
The key to improving China-Japan relations is mutual trust and the foundation lies in the friendship of the two peoples, said Li.
Trust may be impaired because of a certain incident at a time, but its reconstruction requires sustained efforts by all walks of life, said the premier.
He hoped that both sides could cherish and consolidate the positive momentum of improvement in China-Japan relations and push the bilateral ties forward and along the right track.
The development of Sino-Japanese relations can not be separated from the promotion of economic and trade cooperation, said Li, hoping that Japanese business community would carry forward their fine traditions and exert their own influence to boost exchanges in humanities, youth and local affairs so that peace, friendship and cooperation will become the consensus of all walks of life in Japan over the general direction of the Sino-Japanese relations.
He urged concerted efforts to promote the stable and long-term development of relations on the basis of the four political documents signed by both countries and in the spirit of drawing lessons from history and facing up to the future.
Li briefed the Japanese business leaders on the current economic situation in China.
