A Chinese delegation led by Jiang Jianguo, minister of the State Council Information Office, attended the welcome ceremony for the 12th Beijing-Tokyo Forum in Tokyo on Monday night.

Jiang, on behalf of the 70 representatives in the Chinese delegation to attend the forum, addressed the ceremony, saying they came to Tokyo for peace, friendship and cooperation. Their aim is improvement and development of Sino-Japanese relationships.

Cheng Yonghua, Chinese ambassador to Japan, Zhao Qizheng, former minister of the State Council Information Office and dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University, and Zhou Mingwei, president of China International Publishing Group (CIPG), were also among the attendees at the ceremony.

Cheng said in his speech that the theme of this year's forum is "Sino-Japanese cooperation for Asian and world peace and development," which will help the two sides to focus on the big picture while discussing the Sino-Japanese relations, and magnify the positive elements in the relationship.

He noted in the 12 years since the forum was launched, it has stood firmly as a public communication platform, enhancing understanding and mutual trust between China and Japan.

In the friendly and warm atmosphere, a traditional Japanese celebration was held at the welcome ceremony as Chinese representatives Jiang Jianguo, Zhao Qizheng, Cheng Yonghua and Zhou Mingwei, and Japanese representatives Yasuo Fukuda, Yasushi Akashi, Gen Nakatani and Miyamoto Yuji held hammers together to knock open a barrel of Japanese alcohol before making a toast. The forum runs until Sept. 28.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)