Chinese, Japanese leaders pave way forward

TOKYO: Premier Wen Jiabao and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe Wednesday agreed on concrete steps to build mutually beneficial strategic ties.

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Wen's three-day trip, the first by a Chinese premier in nearly seven years, comes six months after Abe went to Beijing to mend ties chilled by his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi, who repeatedly visited Yasukuni Shrine that honors Japan's war criminals of World War II.

Yesterday, the two leaders declared their firm intention to move forward on rebuilding relations, signed agreements on energy and the environment and issued a joint statement that spelt out issues for cooperation.

An environmental accord called for the two to work on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by 2013.

The other agreement committed the two nations to cooperate on developing energy resources and building nuclear power plants in China.

In the joint statement, the two vowed to seek ways to jointly develop gas deposits in disputed waters, pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and strengthen defense cooperation.

During their talks, Wen said that the history issue is crucial for bilateral relations as it affects the national feeling of the Chinese people. It could be an obstacle to improved ties if not handled well, he added.

He urged the Japanese leaders to face up to history and "open up good, forward-looking relations toward a beautiful future".

Wen also reiterated China's position on the Taiwan question, hoping the Japanese side can realize the acute sensitivity of the issue and deal with it properly.

Abe reiterated Japan's commitment to the principles enunciated in the three joint documents directing bilateral relations.

On disputed waters in the East China Sea, the two sides agreed to speed up the negotiation process to seek a solution that is acceptable to both. The two sides pledged to make the area "a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship".

Wen arrived in Tokyo just hours after the two countries signed an accord lifting Beijing's four-year ban on Japanese rice imports. China banned imports in 2003, claiming Japanese rice did not meet the requirements of its revised quarantine system.

Wen is scheduled to address Japan's parliament today. He will also meet Emperor Akihito and co-chair an inaugural meeting with Abe on a high-level economic dialogue that will involve officials at the ministerial level and above.

He will even join in a game of baseball - a popular sport in Japan - tomorrow with college students in western Japan before returning.

Meanwhile, Abe accepted an invitation to visit China again this year.

Though no timetable has been set, it is widely believed that he will visit in the autumn to attend the celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral relations.

His trip is seen as setting the stage for President Hu Jintao's first visit to Japan next year.

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