Young heal old wounds

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 Japanese youth delegates with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing last month. XINHUA

YOUNG people were on the mind of Chinese President Hu Jintao as he embarked on his five-day visit to Japan on Tuesday. A key goal of his trip is encouraging the young to do more to enhance Sino-Japanese relations.

On May 8, Hu will attend the opening ceremony of the China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth. He will give a speech at Tokyo's Waseda University and play table tennis there to show young students the lighter and relaxed side of his personality.

"Less burdened by history, younger generations find it easier to communicate and understand each other. Communication between young people can have a huge impact on bilateral relations," said a China Daily editorial.

However, misunderstanding still exists. Research by Oriental Outlook in China and Japan's Daily Yomiuri in 2007 showed 57 percent of Japanese college students and 46 percent of Chinese don't view each other's countries positively.

"We need to improve the sentiment of people in both countries," a Japanese official said to The Australian newspaper. "Peoples' sentiments on both sides are still fragile."

Bao Yan, a 22-year-old senior at Nanjing Institute of Politics can understand the sentiment. The young Chinese has visited her relatives in Japan several times. Bao thinks both sides' knowledge of the other country is incomplete or misunderstood.

"When the Japanese find I use the same cosmetics as them, they are surprised. In their minds, China is still backwards, like it was 10 years ago," said Bao. "And some Chinese believe modern Japanese girls are very open about sex, but for the majority it is not the case.

Ignorance exists

"Most young people get their knowledge about each other's countries from TV dramas, comic books and news reports. But they sometimes fail to give a true picture about young people's lives," said Bao.

Exchanges between the two countries have been increasing in recent years. According to the Ministry of Education, in 2007, more than 90,000 Chinese were studying in Japan and 18,000 Japanese students were studying in China. The number of tourists traveling between the countries is also rising.

But much remains to be done, especially by young people. "The history problem should not become an obstacle to communication between young people," said Yuko Minegaki, a postgraduate student at Japan's University of Tsukuba.

Some of Minegaki's friends started to study Chinese at high school. "It is a good way to get to know China and its culture," she said. She also believes traveling is important. "You must visit a country if you want to know what it is really like."

Zhang Chunmei contributed to the story

Improving relations

JAPAN and China have close ties, despite disputes over history and the East China Sea.

Trade

China is Japan's biggest trading partner and Japan is China's third, after the EU and US. In 2007, the trade volume between the two countries reached $236 billion, a 200-fold increase from 1972 when the two countries' relations were normalized. Over 20,000 Japanese companies operate in China, and the Japanese are the second biggest foreign investors in China. By last October, Japan has invested $61 billion.

Regional cooperation

China and Japan are two major powers in Asia and their cooperation will help promote financial security in the region. A free trade zone proposed by China involving China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, is under discussion and would benefit all three countries.


Waseda University 早稻田大学
Bonus
Vocabulary
Words you need to discuss relations between China and Japan.
《中日联合声明》
China-Japan Joint Statement (1972)
《中日和平友好条约》
China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship (1978)
以史为鉴、面向未来
Learn the lessons of history and look forward to the future
东海油气开发
exploration of oil and natural resources in the East China Sea
邦交正常化
normalization of diplomatic relations
抗日战争
the War of Resistance against Japan

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