Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the reception marking the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship in Beijing, Oct 25.

Shinzo Abe is on an official visit to China at the invitation of Premier Li.

Premier Li said the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship was reached 40 years ago under the strategic guidance of previous leaders of the two nations, and it was also an important milestone in bilateral ties since the two sides restored diplomatic relations.

The treaty, he said, has set the general direction of peaceful coexistence and friendship of generations by law, and confirmed all the principles in the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement.

The statement included Japan’s stand in profound reflection on its responsibilities on wars and the one-China policy, and clearly stated that the two nations shall develop a constant and peaceful friendship, Premier Li said.

The four political documents, including the treaty, have laid the foundation for bilateral relations and serve as the basic guide for healthy ties, he added.

According to the Premier, despite the ups and downs of bilateral relations in the past 40 years, peace, amity, and cooperation remain as the mainstream direction. “On the occasion of the 40th anniversary, we shall stick to this direction, and follow the trend of times to build a more matured, pragmatic and progressive China-Japan relations,” he said.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy, which has not only brought remarkable achievements to China, but also greatly influenced the world, said the Premier, adding that the policy will not be changed in the future.

He said China is deepening the reform, speeding up the transformation of old and new economic drivers and promoting the economic high-quality development. The country is also widening opening-up with stronger strength and higher level, which will create more opportunities for China and Japan to perform higher level cooperation, and China welcomes Japan to join in its new round of reform to achieve win-win cooperation, said the Premier.

The current regional and international situations are undergoing complex changes, so positively developing China-Japan relations contains huge cooperation potentials and development opportunities, but also face difficulties and challenges at the same time, he said.

To promote the steady development of bilateral relations, Premier Li proposed four aspects for the two countries.

Premier Li said the two countries should enhance political trust, establish true mutual recognition and strategic positioning and apply the political consensus that the two countries will regard each other as cooperation partners, not each other’s threat in the practical actions.

He also called the bilateral sides to control and deal with contradictions and disputes to create better conditions and environment for the healthy development of bilateral relations.

He urged the two countries to utilize their own advantages, further explore cooperation potentials, continuously expand win-win development space, deepen innovation cooperation, jointly exploit third-party market and promote the upgrades of bilateral cooperation.

He said China welcomes Japan to become part of the Belt and Road Initiative to promote the bilateral cooperation to a wider stage.

Premier Li also urged strengthening people-to-people exchanges, calling for exchanges in such fields as culture, education, sports, and regional cooperation to make nongovernmental friendship be the social basis of bilateral ties.

The two countries should encourage the two people, especially teenagers, to expand exchanges in an aim to consolidate public support of Sino-Japan friendship, he said.

China and Japan, as major countries in Asia and main economies of the world, should jointly safeguard regional peace and enhance regional development and prosperity, said the Premier.

The two countries should protect multilateralism and free trade, and strive to be stabilizers, growth engines and power sources of Asian and global development, he added.

Premier Li said China is willing to work with Japan to create a better future of the bilateral ties while bearing in mind peace and cooperation, learning from history and looking forward to the future.

Abe said the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship maps out the important principles and direction of bilateral ties.

China has made remarkable and impressive achievements since the reform and opening-up, Abe said.

China and Japan have played irreplaceable roles in the economic development of Asia and the world, and the two countries should work together to promote the sustainable development of Sino-Japan friendly cooperation and contribute to the world peace and prosperity.

About 800 representatives from all walks of life in China and Japan participated in the reception.

The two prime ministers posed for photos with representatives involved in the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship and their families, and visited a photo exhibition featuring economic and trade cooperation results between the two countries.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the activities.