In a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his Japanese counterpart Taro
Aso in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, Li said that to promote the
improvement and development of the China-Japan relations and push
forward the bilateral exchange and cooperation in various fields is
the common objective of China and Japan.
Li and Aso were meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Post
Ministerial Conference.
Li said under the current international and regional situation,
the importance of China-Japan relations has exceeded the spectrum
of bilateral relations, and the two countries are facing many
common challenges and problems in safeguarding regional peace,
stability and development.
He added that China hopes the two countries would make joint
efforts to break the political impasse in Sino-Japanese
relations.
Aso said to push forward the Japan-China friendly relationship
in the spirit of the three political documents they've signed is a
mutual understanding of the two countries.
He said it is very important for the two countries to strengthen
exchange and cooperation in economy and trade, science and
technology, culture, youth, political parties, congress and safety.
Meanwhile, both sides should enlarge common interests in areas of
environment protection, energy and Northeast Asia cooperation.
The Japanese minister said Japan will strictly adhere to its
commitment about the Taiwan issue in the Japan-China communiqué and
does not support "Taiwan independence."
Li arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday to attend the ASEAN Plus
Three Ministerial Meeting, which involves all 10 ASEAN member
states, China, Japan and South Korea, the ASEAN Post Ministerial
Conference and the 13th ASEAN Regional Forum.
(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2006)