Neighborly partners rather than rivals

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said he has long had a bond with China after he wrapped up his first official visit to the country on Monday.

"I made my debut appearance in China in 1984 as a member of a 3,000-strong Japanese youth delegation and have ever since forged a bond with China," Noda said in a written interview with the Xinhua News Agency and other Chinese media ahead of his two-day visit. "That is why I often describe myself as the 'son of Japan-China exchanges'."

In his maiden visit to China as prime minister, Noda said he expects to "reach consensuses with China's leaders on deepening bilateral strategic and mutually beneficial relations" on the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year.