Japanese PM extends new year greetings to Chinese

TOKYO, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda extended Wednesday his Chinese lunar new year's greetings to the Chinese community in Japan as well as all Chinese people around the globe.

Fukuda said he carried out very meaningful visit to China and met with a lot of Chinese leaders in the year of 2007, the 35th anniversary of the normalization of ties between Japan and China.

Year 2008 is the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship. This year, the Olympics games will be held in Beijing, and Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit Japan in spring, the first visit for a Chinese president in 10 years, Fukuda said.

The premier said Year 2008 will be a year full of many commemorable and important events. He wished President Hu a successful visit to Japan and also wished the Beijing Olympics to be a great success.

Fukuda vowed to go on with his efforts to promote mutual understanding and trust between the Japanese and the Chinese people. He said Japan is resolute to work hard together with China to push forward the Japan-China mutual beneficial ties based on common strategic interests for peace and development of Asia and the world.

Fukuda's greetings will be published by the Chinese Guidance, a major Chinese language newspaper in Japan, on its Feb. 7th edition.