Hu Jintao meets old friends in Japan
Updated: 2008-05-07 10:56
Chinese President Hu Jintao continues his five-day state visit. It's a trip that's widely expected to build on a friendlier turn in relations. The President also took the opportunity to visit a few of his old friends.
The first visit to Japan in a decade by the highest ranking Chinese official.
 Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with relatives of Hiroshi Ohira, the oldest son of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira, in Tokyo, May 6, 2008. [Xinhua] |
Hu Jintao's trip has a friendly tone. The choice to travel to Japan in spring carries the notion of melting ice in two-way relations.
His schedule was carefully designed, as this meeting indicates.
Hu Jintao met with a group of former Japanese politicians, as well as some of their family members. Together they reviewed the efforts made in establishing two way relations thirty years ago. This footage shows some of these Japanese people or their ancestors participating in the historical moments.
Hu Jintao, Chinese President said "Your ancestors are honorable friends of China. They believed in the friendship between our two countries, and worked for the improvement of ties after the end of World War II. Today the two way relations have come to a new starting point, with new opportunities for development. I'd like to thank you and your family for your contribution in two way ties, and I hope my visit can create a new strategic and mutually beneficial relationship between the two sides. "
 Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with Tenkoko Sonoda (C), widow of former Japanese Foreign Minister Sunao Sonoda in Tokyo, May 6, 2008. [Xinhua] |
Later, Hu Jintao met representatives of a youth delegation, who visited China in the mid 1980s. During that visit, the Japanese delegation intrigued Chinese people with their cultural performances, and the Chinese hosts saved one of the delegates' lives from a serious disease.
Hu Jintao said "Your visit in 1984 helped us to improve and solidify our friendship. Over the years, our friendship didn't decrease, but it has deepened. I know some of you have been working to help Chinese students in Japan, some of you are still trying to enhance mutual understanding through cultural exchanges, and others are contributing their parts such as by working as a language teacher. "
The meetings concluded with the Japanese guests extending their best wishes that the Chinese President's visit will yield good results.
Hu Jintao is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Wednesday. Besides political topics, a ping pong game between the two is said to have been planned.
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