Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing Monday he values the efforts made by the New China-Japan Friendship Committee for the 21st Century.

 

During a meeting with members of the New China-Japan Friendship Committee for the 21st Century, Wen thanked them for their long-term efforts to promote friendship and break the political stalemate between the two countries.

 

He also expressed his appreciation for the establishment of the "China-Japan Friendship Fund" at the committee's suggestion, which promotes non-governmental exchanges, especially between young people.

 

Wen said maintaining friendship between the two countries is the common desire of the two peoples and nothing can resist it.

 

He said he hopes the committee will continue to offer suggestions about how to achieve stable and healthy relations between the two countries.

 

Yotaro Kobayashi, the top representative of the Japanese side, thanked Wen for his appreciation and encouragement for their work.

 

He said the Japanese members are willing to closely cooperate with Chinese counterparts to promote relations between the two countries.

 

Before visiting China, Kobayashi visited Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last Tuesday.

 

Abe said he hoped that Japan can build strategic, mutually beneficial relations with China on the basis of Japan-China friendship.

 

Abe also said to Kobayashi that he hoped the committee will discuss issues related to long-term cooperation and make some breakthroughs.

 

The New China-Japan Friendship Committee for the 21st Century was established at the behest of leaders of the two countries. The goal is to bring together intellectuals from both sides to study relations from a broad political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological perspective, and make proposals to the two governments.

 

The committee has held five meetings since its inception in July 2003. The fifth one was held in Qingdao, in east China's Shandong province from October 19 to 22.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2006)