Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and China’s foreign minister, alongside Takeshi Iwaya, Japan’s foreign affairs minister, participated in the second high-level consultation on China-Japan people-to-people and cultural exchanges held in Beijing on Wednesday.
The meeting culminated in ten key agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.
- Both nations agreed to promote youth exchange programs and support study trips to foster deeper understanding among young people.
- Educational collaboration will be enhanced by increasing student exchanges and establishing sister schools between primary, secondary, and higher education institutions in both countries.
- Tourism cooperation will be bolstered, with measures introduced to facilitate mutual visits by tourists.
- Efforts will be made to strengthen ties between sister cities, utilizing platforms such as the China-Japan Governor Forum, the China-Japan-ROK Cultural Exchange Year, and the Culture Cities of East Asia to encourage local and non-governmental exchanges.
- The two sides will enhance sports collaborations and support major events, including the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games and the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
- Cultural industries such as film, music, television, publishing, and animation will see expanded cooperation, including exchange visits by art groups and translations of classic works.
- Media and think tank collaborations will be deepened to positively influence public opinion and improve bilateral relations, with a focus on exchanges in new media.
- Exchanges between women’s groups will be encouraged, with a focus on sharing experiences in gender equality and empowerment. China invited Japan to the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
- The 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Kansai, will serve as a platform for enhancing friendship, with China supporting Japan’s hosting of the event and Japan assisting with the China Pavilion’s preparations.
- The third high-level consultation meeting on cultural exchanges will be held in Japan at a mutually agreed time.
Wang Yi noted that 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, emphasizing the importance of learning from history to preserve peace. He expressed hope that Japan would reaffirm its commitment to peaceful development and work with China to advance stable and positive bilateral relations.
Iwaya affirmed Japan’s willingness to enhance the quality of people-to-people exchange initiatives, strengthen sister city collaborations, and introduce more measures to ease personnel exchanges between the two countries.
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