Liu Aiping, Party Secretary of the China International Youth Exchange Center (CIYEC), met with a working group led by Fujimori Shusuke, Director for International Youth Exchange in the Japanese Cabinet Office, on March 21.

Liu welcomed Fujimori on his visit and briefed the working group on the CIYEC's work in international youth exchanges. She said that China and Japan are neighbors that cannot be moved away and partners that cannot be separated, and that people-to-people exchanges between the two countries cannot be stopped.

Liu added that the foundation of the friendly relations between the two countries lies in the people, and the future of the friendly relations between the two peoples rests on the younger generation.

Noting that the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) and the Japanese Cabinet Office have been cooperating on the China-Japan youth exchange program for 45 years, cultivating a group of young people who promote the development of China-Japan relations, Liu expressed her hope that, this year, with the resumption of mutual visits under the program, activities tailored to the characteristics of young people will be planned around topics and areas of common concern to young people in both countries.

By continuously enriching the forms of youth exchange through face-to-face communication, the activities are expected to deepen mutual understanding between the young people of the two countries and promote the development of friendly relations between China and Japan, according to Liu.

Fujimori noted that Japan and China, as neighboring countries with close cultural ties, share a long history of interaction. As a department of the Japanese government in charge of youth affairs, the Japanese Cabinet Office will continue to collaborate with the ACYF and the CIYEC to enhance exchanges and deepen mutual understanding between the youth of both countries, he said. This effort aims to help them objectively, rationally, and amicably understand each other's nations, thereby contributing to the positive development of Japan-China relations by fostering a broader range of support, he added.

Katsumata Mayuko, Deputy Director for International Youth Exchange in the Japanese Cabinet Office, and the head of the Public Service and Cooperation Department of the CIYEC also attended the meeting.

During their stay in Beijing, the working group will also visit the ACYF as well as relevant institutions and enterprises with a focus on rural vitalization and green development.