(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-15 16:40

BEIJING -- Chinese and Japanese youth celebrated the opening ceremony of the China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth here on Saturday afternoon, marking the official launch of the year-long exchange program.

President Hu Jintao met with principal members of the 1,000-strong Japanese delegation at Beijing's Renmin University and watched a calligraphy show and tea ceremony by the Chinese and Japanese youth.

He was expected to attend an art performance later this afternoon.

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Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda both sent congratulatory messages to the ceremony.

Conveying his support for the youth exchange year, Wen said in his message that the program was of great significance for the youth of both countries to better understand history, present and future.

"Chinese and Japanese youth not only represent the hopes of each nation, but also shoulder great responsibilities for China and Japan to be friendly for generations to come," said Wen. He encouraged the youth to learn from each other and further promote peace, friendship and cooperation.

Echoing Wen's remarks, Fukuda expressed his support to the increasing exchanges between youth of the two countries. "So long as we fundamentally understand each other can our two nations build up mutual trust," he said.

According to the Chinese sponsor, the All-China Youth Federation, 2,008 youngsters -- 1,008 from China and 1,000 from Japan -- attended the ceremony.

The Japanese delegation, who arrived in China on Monday, was led by Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Osamu Uno. Yotaro Kobayashi, the chief Japanese member of the new 21st Century Committee for China-Japan Friendship, was the special advisor.

The delegation consists of 500 high school students, 200 university students and 300 young representatives from various walks of life such as parliamentarians, government officials, businessmen and journalists.

Breaking into small groups, they respectively visited such cities as Shanghai and Hangzhou in the east, Chongqing and Chengdu in the west, Guangzhou in the south and Dalian in the northeast and held get-togethers with their Chinese peers before their arrival in Beijing on Friday.

The China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth was created last year by Wen and Fukuda when the two met over lunch in Singapore at the Asian Summit in November. A memorandum of understanding on the youth exchange year was signed during Fukuda's China visit in December.

It also marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty.

A series of youth exchange activities will be conducted over the course of the year in the fields of culture, academia, environmental protection, science and technology, media, tourism, film and television.

A Chinese youth delegation will visit Japan later in the year.