TOKYO: Some 80 Japanese and Chinese people, including former and current government officials, discussed ways to establish stable relations between the two countries in Tokyo on Wednesday.

At the high-level people-to-people and cultural exchange forum, organized mainly by the China Public Diplomacy Association, an affiliate of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, discussions were centered on how to build mutually beneficial strategic ties at a time when Japan is beefing up its defense capabilities to cope with China’s increasing hegemonic moves.

Wu Hailong, former Chinese assistant foreign minister and the association’s chairman, underscored the importance of turning around the souring bilateral relations, saying the current situation is not desirable for people who have worked hard for friendship between China and Japan.

“The private sector’s power is indispensable to bringing the governments’ diplomatic efforts to a successful end,” former Japanese Prime Minister FUKUDA Yasuo said.

The forum participants also included Japanese Ambassador to China Yuji Miyamoto and former Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua.

JIJI Press