Japanese and Chinese leaders heralded a new era of closer ties between the two Asian powers yesterday, pledging to overcome territorial and history disputes and calling for cooperation on North Korea, energy and the environment.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met at the outset of Wen's visit to Tokyo, the first by a Chinese leader for nearly seven years. The meeting followed a preliminary trip by Abe to China in October.
In a joint statement, the two vowed to seek ways to develop gas deposits in disputed waters, pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and "face up to history" in building forward-looking relations.
"Our talks will be a big step toward building strategically and mutually beneficial relations," Abe told Wen at the start of their talks at his office complex after welcoming him on with a red carpet, despite the rain.
Wen agreed, saying it was "the most important goal of my visit."
Wen, who was meeting Abe for the third time in six months, said the two leaders "need to talk about the details of what strategically and mutually beneficial relations would entail."
They quickly signed agreements. An environmental accord called for the two to work on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by 2013. China is in the Kyoto pact, but its emissions are a rising concern as the economy rapidly expands.
The other agreement committed Japan and China to cooperate on developing energy resources.
A joint declaration made a veiled reference to the bitter dispute over wartime history. China still nurses resentment over Japanese invasions in the 1930s and 1940s, while Japanese nationalists accuse Beijing of exaggerating accounts of atrocities for political gain.
"We resolve to face up to history and open up good, forward-looking relations toward a beautiful future," the statement said.
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