A China-Japan youth dialogue was held in Beijing on Nov 19 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The dialogue was jointly hosted by the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) and Japan's Cabinet Office, and co-organized by the China International Youth Exchange Center (CIYEC) and Japan’s Center for International Youth Exchange.

Young people are the hope and future of China-Japan relations, Dong Xia, Deputy Secretary-General of the ACYF, said in her address to the event, adding that the ACYF has worked closely with the Japanese Cabinet Office to promote the stable development of Chinese and Japanese youth exchange projects and fostered constructive forces for the positive development of the China-Japan relations over the past 45 years.

During their meeting in San Francisco, the two heads of state reiterated their commitment to the principles and consensus stipulated in the four political documents between China and Japan, and reaffirmed to comprehensively advance the strategic and mutually beneficial relationship, Dong noted. She called on young people of both countries to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries, consolidate and expand their bilateral partnership, strengthen mutual learning, deepen mutual understanding and trust, and bolster win-win cooperation for common development.

In her video address, Yufu Wakako, Director General for International Youth Exchange in the Japanese Cabinet Office, said that the organization and implementation of the exchange projects for Chinese and Japanese youth is aimed at commemorating the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship and that it has played a positive role in promoting understanding and deepening friendship between Chinese and Japanese youth. She urged for efforts to further advance the friendship between young people of the two countries and to encourage them to shoulder their historical responsibility to promote ever-lasting friendship between the two countries through this people-to-people exchange project as youth represent the future of the two nations.

Wu Huaizhong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Japanese Studies in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and Takahara Akio, a professor of Chinese Politics and International Relations in East Asia at the University of Tokyo, gave respective keynote speeches over the concerted efforts made by Chinese and Japanese youth to build China-Japan relations in accordance with the needs of the new era.

Wu said that youth are an important force for a country in its foreign relations development and that the Chinese and Japanese youth should adhere to the original aspiration of the two countries in the normalization of their diplomatic relations, engage in dialogues and exchanges, deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, and strive to build China-Japan relations in accordance with the needs of the new era.

Takahara emphasized that current China-Japan relationship is confronted with a complex and challenging situation, highlighting the increased importance of youth exchanges between the two countries. He urged young people of the two countries to hold an objective attitude toward the other country, bridge the gap of mutual understanding, shoulder their historical responsibility, strengthen communication, and work together to break new ground in the development of China-Japan relations.

Four representatives of students from Peking University, Renmin University of China, Nihon University and the University of the Sacred Heart shared their views on such topics as infusing new connotation to traditional cultural exchanges, deepening people-to-people practical collaboration, and fostering a positive environment for exchange of public opinions.

Young Chinese and Japanese participants also held panel discussions over such topics as cultural innovation, the digital economy, climate change, fine education, low birth rates and aging populations. They agreed that the youth exchange event bears great importance for deepening mutual understanding and trust between the young people of the two countries, bolstering their confidence to resolve new problems detrimental to the development of bilateral relations, and advancing the healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations.

Zhang Hua, Director of the CIYEC, presided over the event. Usui Masato, Minister and Director of the Japan Information and Culture Center at the Japanese Embassy in China, Fujimori Shusuke, Director for International Youth Exchange in the Japanese Cabinet Office, Takeuchi Kazuo, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency China Office, Nozaki Koji, Deputy Director of the Japan Foundation in Beijing, and Kawashima  Nobuaki, Director of the Exchange Program Operation Division in the Center for International Youth Exchange, as well as nearly 100 Chinese and Japanese youth representatives and journalists from the two countries, attended the event either in person or via video link.