In late May, a 27-member young leaders delegation from JCI (Junior Chamber International Japan) visited China at the invitation of CAFIU. During that visit, CAFIU Secretary-General Ni Jian met with Agehara Yasumaro, Chairman of JCI Japan-China Friendship Association. Mr. Yasumaro told Mr. Ni that since this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of friendship between JCI and All-China Youth Federation as well as the founding of JCI Japan-China Friendship Association, a ceremony would be held in Yokohama in mid-July. Mr. Yasumaro invited Mr. Ni to attend the ceremony, as he had dedicated himself to the exchanges between JCI and All-China Youth Federation and borne witness to the growing friendship between these two organizations when he was working in All-China Youth Federation. Mr. Yasumaro also expressed his wish for an MOU to be signed between CAFIU and JCI.

 

After serious preparations, I had the honor of accompanying Secretary-General Ni Jian on his working visit to Japan from July 18 to 22 at the invitation of JCI Japan-China Friendship Association.

 

Accompanied by Mr. Yasumaro, we left Tokyo on the afternoon of July 19 for Yokohama, capital of Kanagawa Prefecture. Located in the north of Tokyo, the international port city of Yokohama is famous for its China Town, the largest one in Japan. The ceremony was held in Yokohama Royal Park Hotel, the tallest building in the city, overlooking Tokyo Bay on its balcony. But we had already been surrounded by old and new friends from JCI before we had time to catch a glimpse of the beautiful view.

 

Before the ceremony started, CAFIU Secretary-General Ni Jian and JCI Japan 2015 President Gosuke Shibata signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting China-Japan Friendly Exchanges between the Chinese Association for International Understanding and the Junior Chamber International Japan, which stipulates that the two organizations shall enhance mutual trust and promote China-Japan friendly relations through carrying out young leaders exchanges of both countries.

Many old members of JCI travelled all the way to Yokohama from different parts of Japan to meet Mr. Ni, the friend they had known for 30 years. The ceremony was attended by over 100 delegates from Japanese political field, business circle and NGOs as well as a 59-member youth delegation sent by All-China Youth Federation. All the delegates were chatting joyfully with each other in an amiable atmosphere.

 

President Shibata and Secretary-General Ni Jian delivered speeches respectively on the ceremony. Mr. Shibata said that it is of high necessity for young people in both countries to strive for the peace and stability of Asia and the world at large. He urged young people to stand in the forefront of the time to embrace the changes and encouraged younger generations to inherit and carry forward the previous efforts made in the past three decades and let the tree of amity grow ever stronger. Mr. Ni pointed out that in the past three decades youth organizations in both countries had shouldered the responsibility of enhancing the existed friendship and helping usher in a better future against the backdrop of major changes and development in the bilateral ties. He said that exchanges in the three decades signified the efforts of countries including China and Japan to seek peace, development and win-win cooperation in the wave of economic globalization and regional integration. To achieve peace and development, communication and exchanges should be enhanced constantly, while understanding and mutual trust should be strengthened for the realization of win-win cooperation.

 

Before we embarked on our trip to Japan, the Lower House of Japanese Diet just approved the new security legislation and submitted it to the Upper House. The legislation met with strong protest from opposition parties and people from all walks of life in Japan. A lot of Japanese people had taken to the street in protest against the legislation. During our stay in Japan, Mr. Ni Jian called on Yuko Obuchi, Member of the Lower House of Japanese Diet from the Liberal Democratic Party, Masaaki Taira，Member of the Lower House of Japanese Diet and State Minister of Cabinet Office, Nishida Makoto, Member of the Upper House of Japanese Diet from the New Komeito, Goshi Hosono, Member of the Lower House of Japanese Diet from the Democratic Party, Asahina Yutaka, President of the Mainichi Newspapers, Tsuneda Teruo, Executive Director of the Mainichi Newspapers and Tadashi Ikeda, Chairman of the Kazankai Foundation. During these meetings, Mr. Ni expounded on China’s policies and expressed Chinese NGOs’ expectations on the development of bilateral ties. Some Japanese politicians and NGOs questioned the new security legislation and considered it a departure from Japan’s post-war peaceful path. They believed such an action would further tensions between Japan and its neighboring countries against the backdrop of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Second World War. Most of them believed that the two countries, not least their politicians, need to conduct communication and dialogue in time to seek mutual understanding and trust so as to prevent any accident in bilateral ties and bring the development of bilateral relations under control. The two peoples should have more exchanges, promote practical cooperation and enhance political trust no matter where the bilateral ties are heading for.

 

Commemorations are held in China this year to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World’s Anti-Fascist War. History cannot be repeated, yet we could take history as a mirror and look into the future. A country can not decide who its neighbors are, yet we can reshape bilateral relations according to generally recognized norms governing state-to-state exchanges. The two peoples are pillars in promoting the bilateral ties. We sincerely hope that the joint efforts by the two peoples, and youth exchanges in particular, will inject new vitality to the bilateral relations and ultimately help find a way out.