Open minds to mould China-Japan ties

President Hu Jintao's state visit to Japan last week, dubbed "the spring warmth trip" by the Japanese and Chinese press, was a complete success.

A friend of mine and a reporter for the weekly magazine Chubun (Chinese Review) in Japan, told me in a letter, "I have been covering President Hu's trip for the past few days and the mood of this visit has been very good".

A Japanese professor wrote in a letter, "President Hu's visit to Japan has left a very good impression among the Japanese public. Some of the media outlets in Japan that tried to play down its significance have changed their tone completely. The Japanese people who have been friendly to China are filled with great joy. I have to say President Hu does it best. My hat's off to him!"