China and Japan realized the normalization of diplomatic relations 32 years ago. 

Bilateral relations, however, are far from harmonious at present.

Efforts are called for to improve the relationship between China and Japan, to promote peace, stability and development in East Asia and realize China's strategic goal of building a well-off society.

Sino-Japanese friendship is essentially one between the peoples of the two countries.

For China, to seek friendship with the Japanese people does not contradict its efforts to struggle against the rightist forces in Japan. If more and more Japanese people hold a friendly attitude towards China, the rightist forces in Japan will have dimmer political prospects.

To answer to a handful of Japanese who are unwilling to see China-Japan enjoying a lasting friendship, the only way is to unceasingly strengthen friendship and cooperation with the mass of the Japanese people, the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping once suggested.

Under this principle, there is the need for the Chinese to strictly discriminate against Japanese rightists from the ordinary Japanese, to cultivate a correct perception among the Japanese towards China.

Only by enlisting supports from the majority of the Japanese, can China effectively counter the current adverse anti-China sentiment launched by a handful of rightists in Japan and crush their attempts of leading the two neighbors to hostility and confrontation through instigating national hatred between their peoples.

Since the end of the Cold War, especially since the breakdown of the Japanese Social Party, Japan's politics have gradually developed into a rightist tendency towards the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Before that, the country mainly took a middle political line with the innovative Social Party and the conservative LDP competing with each other so as to keep a balance.

Under this context, Japan has taken a series of moves, such as its actions to strengthen Japan-US alliance and revise its Pacifist Constitution.

The results of the recent House of Councilors election in Japan also demonstrated the country is stepping towards an era in which its two conservative parties, LDP and the Democratic Party, jointly dominate the nation's politics.

These changes have been driven by both internal and external factors.

Asian nations, including China, strongly hope that Japan continues to adopt a peaceful road.

In this sense, developing a cooperative relationship with Japan serves China's national interests and is conducive to peace and development in Asia and even the world.

During Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's rule, Japan-US alliance had an unprecedented boost.

But we must also recognize Washington and Tokyo are not always in the same boat.

In terms of ideology, regional security and economic integration, the two allies also have different interests and values.

And within Japan there is an increasing degree of discontent towards Koizumi's excessive pro-US foreign policy.

On historical issues, China should maintain its stance that the Japanese Government shoulders unshirkable responsibility.

But at the same time, we must acknowledge that the two countries also face a lot of other things that need their joint efforts to solve.

When there is lack of mutual trust, any accident or sudden case between the two neighbors will possibly lead to misunderstandings and even conflict, which is clearly not in their fundamental interests.

Furthering exchanges with Japanese people will increase mutual understanding and trust between the two peoples. Without extensive people-to-people exchanges, any problem between the two countries will be difficult to solve.

Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's frequent pilgrimages to the Yasukuni Shrine have seriously damaged Sino-Japanese relations. China should carry out extensive exchanges with the Japanese people to make them acknowledge that Japan's past aggressive war in Asia brought enormous casualties and trauma to the region's countries, including China.

The Japanese politicians' embellishment of the historical issue, under whatever excuses, will become unpopular, and so will the lies concocted by some rightists to distort history.

While the two countries experience chilly political relations but warm economic ties, the negative effects caused by political and sentimental factors upon Sino-Japanese economic and trade ties are becoming bigger.

There is an increasing tendency that more and more economic and technical issues between the two countries are politicized.

In 2003 and in the first three quarters of this year, China and Japan maintained a strong economic and trade momentum.

But the growth rate of Sino-Japanese trade has obviously lagged behind that of China's overall foreign trade, especially behind that of its trade with the United States and the European Union (EU).

Building a good Sino-Japanese relationship not only benefits both Japan and China.

Currently, the efforts to advance economic, security and information cooperation in East Asia or beyond have provided another platform of cooperation between the two countries, which is expected to become an effective instrument in improving Sino-Japanese political ties.

East Asian cooperation and rejuvenation are the common wish of the countries in the region.

(China Daily November 29, 2004)