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On November 20, DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa met with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi for around 30 minutes. The meeting was also attended by Diet Affairs Committee Chair Kenji Yamaoka for the DPJ.
During the meeting, Yang explained the Chinese government’s position with regard to the three issues of “people-to-people exchanges”, “economy and trade” and “climate change”, and stressed the need for cooperation between Japan and China. Ozawa expressed his agreement in principle with this, and emphasised that the DPJ would continue to support such efforts.
At the start of the meeting, Yang recalled a previous meeting with Ozawa on his first official visit to Japan in April of last year, saying that it had left a lasting impression on him. He also conveyed best wishes from Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, and added, “President Hu and Premier Wen hold you in great esteem, Mr Secretary General. They value your friendship highly.” Ozawa thanked Yang for his “kind words” and expressed the opinion that the Minister had already engaged in worthwhile discussions with the Japanese government.
Yang outlined the discussions he had held with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Minister of Foreign Affairs Katsuya Okada, and revealed that with both Japan and China in the process of undergoing new developments, they had agreed to construct a mutual strategic relationship. He continued by saying that he had already explained China’s position regarding “people-to-people exchanges”, “economy and trade” and “climate change” to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, but would also like convey it to Ozawa.
Yang said, “First of all, I would like to stress that the “Japan-China (DPJ/Chinese Communist Party) Exchange and Discussion Mechanism” has produced great results under your leadership.” He went on to say that Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping was scheduled to visit Japan next month, and asked for Ozawa’s cooperation in making the visit a success. Ozawa said that he welcomed the planned visit.
Yang also said that Hatoyama had formally issued an invitation for President Hu to participate in the APEC meeting to be held next year in Japan, and stressed he would like to “cooperate” toward realising this. He also revealed that he had invited Prime Minister Hatoyama to attend the Shanghai Expo, scheduled to take place next April, and added that he would like to extend a similar invitation to Ozawa.
Yang went on to say that in the discussions regarding trade and the economy, the view had been expressed that Japan, China and the Republic of Korea should cooperate in investigating the prospect of a trilateral FTA, and work toward creating an East Asian Community. He said to Ozawa, “I would like to ask you to use your influence in this area also, and to promote investigations into an FTA.”
With regard to climate change, Yang explained China’s position, which he said differed from that of Western nations. He revealed that a comment had been made by US President Obama to the effect that it was unfair to ask China to implement the same cuts as Western nations, considering that China’s greenhouse gas emissions are caused as a result of industrial production. Yang said he would also like to ask for Japan’s understanding on this point.
In closing, Yang said, “The Chinese side intends to make the utmost effort toward a mutual strategic relationship, and we would like to ask Secretary General Ozawa and the DPJ for their cooperation in this effort.”
In response to this Ozawa commented, “First of all, with regard to actual policies, I hope that the two governments will be able to cooperate actively in this area. We represent the position of the DPJ as a party, and so we would basically like to focus our efforts on exchanges with the Chinese Communist Party. The numbers of both Diet members and members of the public participating in next month’s delegation to China is the largest so far. I think this should enable you to understand our position.”
Ozawa also expressed the opinion: “I believe that Japan and China are entering the era for an epoch-making partnership. This applies to our efforts toward dealing with politics and the economy as well as the environment.” He emphasised that if both countries were to work together then he believed that it would be possible to resolve such issues as FTA negotiations and the environment. He added, “For that reason, the DPJ as a party would like to provide our support. That is because our administration has just started, and its foundations are not yet firmly established. In order to respond to the expectations of China and the international community, we need to consolidate our party’s position, and strengthen the foundations of our party so that the government can take resolute decisions. We will do our best to achieve this goal.”
Yang expressed his appreciation to Ozawa for engaging in frank discussions, and said he would report the results of their discussions to the leadership of his party, and the meeting came to an end.
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