2018年CRI Premier Li's visit expected to boost China-Japan ties

 

Chinese Premier¹ Li Keqiang has arrived in Japan, paying an official visit at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Li Keqiang is also scheduled to attend a trilateral summit between leaders of China, Japan, and South Korea.

A former Japanese Ambassador to China believes the Premier's trip will be significant to improving ties between the two countries.

Li Keqiang is the first Chinese premier to visit Japan in eight years.

The trip is widely seen as the latest sign of improvement in bilateral² relationship.

Niwa Uichiro, Chair of the Japan-China Friendship Association and also former Japanese Ambassador to China, is suggesting that both sides are willing to enhance ties against such a backdrop.

"In the past year, China-Japan ties have not been smooth or stable. But we have just experienced the 45th anniversary of the normalization³ of China-Japan relations. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Both sides are willing to improve our ties."

China-Japan relations have gone through twists and turns in recent years.

Signs of improvement began to turn up just months ago after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent positive messages on a number of occasions on enhancing bilateral relationship.

As a result of that, bilateral trade rallied to some 300 billion U.S. dollars last year.

The number of tourists going to Japan from Chinese mainland also rose 15 percent to over 7 million.

As far as Li's visit is concerned, Uichiro holds much expectation.

"The communication between China and Japan lost momentum⁴ in the past several years. But as we mark the 40th anniversary of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty, Premier Li's visit will definitely improve the ties between China and Japan."

Uichiro also suggest much more work should be done to maintain this positive momentum.

"China and Japan should enhance their communication, especially among the youth and teenagers. We should also promote economic cooperation. The two countries should abide⁵ by the four political documents since they established diplomatic ties in 1972 and work to promote their friendship."

High on Li Keqiang's agenda in Japan will be a trilateral meeting with South Korean president and Japanese prime minister on Wednesday.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with Shinzo Abe and the Japanese Emperor.

A trip to Hokkaido will also be made before his visit wraps up this Friday. 

1 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

2 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

3 normalization   

n.（normalisation）正常化，标准化

参考例句：

• The visit signalled the normalization of relations between the two countries.这次访问显示两国关系已经正常化。
• He was pleased to the normalization of relationship between the police and the people.他很高兴警方和人民之间关系的正常化。

4 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

5 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。