Hu´s Japan visit to promote bilateral relations

Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming state visit to Japan will be the first by a Chinese president to Japan over the past decade. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The visit is widely seen as a move that will further promote China-Japan relations. Hu Jintao says the visit will have the atmosphere of a "warm spring".

In the past few years, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, made annual visits to the Yasukuni Shrine where war criminals were honored. Koizumi made the visits regardless of strong opposition at home and abroad.

The move seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. Political relations between the two countries become frosty for a while, with high-level visits between the two sides suspended and exchanges in various areas severely affected.

People from both countries who were committed to promoting stable, long-term and friendly relations, made constant efforts to bridge the difficult period in China-Japan relations.

In October 2006, the then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made an "ice-breaking" visit to China. That event was followed by the "ice-thawing" visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Japan in April 2007 and Fukuda's visit to China last December.

The development of Sino-Japanese relations has been filled with twists and turns. But both countries have come to realize that they share vast common interests and are interdependent. The two nations also know that peace is beneficial while rifts hurt them both. They have also come to realize the importance of promoting friendly and cooperative relations.

The forthcoming "warm spring" visit is expected to have a far-reaching influence on the future development of China-Japan relations. It's hoped the visit will make the neighborly friendship between China and Japan step into a real "spring".