China's Wen pledges to improve ties with Japan

Now, this is good news. Hopefully the two countries can put aside their differences and work for a lasting peace. But this must trickle down to the people on both sides. Not only premiers and prime ministers but the people as well. History must be taught on one side. Actions of the past must be dropped by the other. Physical boundaries must be respected. Copyrights on products as well. I really hope that the Chinese government will work with Noda and his cabinet to eliminate the hostilities between the two countries.

@troyinjapan

I agree completely. Diplomacy built on mutual respect is better than agression.

Ties between China and Japan were very good if you go back far enough. Perhaps goodwill can be found by promoting this on both sides.

Seriously Wen wow, I hope you are sincere about this, now please show us you are for real by selling enmasse all the japanese yen you have been buying and hoarding, that will certianly make me believe you want to improve ties with Nippon.

I think it would be better for Asia if we has a United States of South East Asia with China in control. That would make us a competitive trading block, give regional security and we could all benefit from China's great leadership and economic Success. With the Yuan as a regional currency, all economies would be stable.

Asagao, sorry Charlie but Japan does not want to be controlled by China. About Wen will believe it when it happens. First minor problem and this "good feelings" will fall off the wagon. All of this is political hay for others to see. China must be planning something, I predict the Chinese will soon be in the streets yelling "death to Japanese".

Asagao@ I think it would be better for Asia if we has a United States of South East Asia with China in control. That would make us a competitive trading block, give regional security and we could all benefit from China's great leadership and economic Success. With the Yuan as a regional currency, all economies would be stable.

a dream of China. and a super trap. Finally China will encroch all the islands and sea as thier private property. As they did with other business and intellectual property of other countries. Stealing the technology and trade marks.

If we are looking for peace in Asia with out loosing the dignity and property of Asian nations then unite centered on US, Japan, Korea and India. Not with China and Yuan. Never trust Communist China and be careful of their offers until they open up inside.

You say "communist" China like you are living in the 50s. China has changed quite a lot since then, or do you use this word in the same way some use "Muslim" and "terror". For a start, China owes American debt and 15% of Hawaii is owned by Chinese, so how is this Communistic? China is offering friendship here and we should do the same.

When?

@Asagao "China's great leadership" LOL. You must be either Chinese or illiterate. Having problems with every country they deal with is not a great leadership.

China still needs lesson in playing nicely.

Sorry but it trys to bully everyone and wants to take its toys off those it feels slighted by.

Then wants to be friends, Grow up China !

China, even to the Chinese, know it can NOT BE TRUSTED! They say 1 thing and do something else. Words are cheap but Mr.Wen must really put his ACTIONS into trying to be a good neighbor etc..not only with Little Japan as my Chinese friends call Japan, but with its many, many neighbors.

Yes actions from Chinese side must be taken....I agree ! Mr Noda, a notorious 'war criminals denialer'! Dont expect no actions will happen ina asia! Hopefully the next 12months more or less will be a less compacting than Kan's!

Good neighbourhood is essential in east asia but not with thieves! Those who attempted to steal China's gas under the sea bed, those who inviting dangerous 'high sea privates' 'gunboating' around China's coast with aircraft carriers and stealth bombers targeting Chinese cities and those who fabricating false accusations and defamation of China is a world threat...etc. All the above were no good neighbours! Every single dispute must be clamed down by force essential to keep a peaceful neighbourhood! Mr Noda was brought up by Kan's faction and sure he learned 'the hard lesson' of the trawler collision last year that hurts his own popularity ! Otherwise he is very naive to sit in that post!

Japan & China, h'mmm one is as bad as the other, this see sawing will continue, China will keep poking Japan here & there.

If the yanks ever start downsizing or out & out departing the pokes will become probes, skirmishes, etc etc

Both countries have a LOT of historical baggage, the way Japan has delt with hers is being reaped more & more & I predict it will continue as Japans influence continues to peter out

it's a trap

Words coming from the Chinese government is slightly higher in trustworthiness compared to the Radio Press in DPRK...

The main problem with China, is that it's foriegn policy and for that matter domestic policy is subject to infighting between 2 factions. The Moderates, led by Wen and others want good ties with their neighbours. And Hardliners.

However Hardliners in Both the military and within the party, are not so keen on cooperation. As 2012 approaches, when the the new leadership is installed, there is a tug of war going on.

For instance if you consider the south China sea, you get one person from the foriegn minisrty saying that the Phillipines and China have a growing relationship, then someone from the military send some "fishing bioats" in to Phillipine controlled waters to harass oil exploration etc.

I still feel last years Sengoku/Diaoyu islands incedent was a setup by hardliners trying to derail an agreement on sharing resources in the east China sea. Once an emotional issue is raised, even moderates have to toe the line.

Good words from China, let's hope it's backed up by positive actions and both countries look to the future.

Why should Japan trust another one of Wen's pledges ? His track record shows that he has broken most other ones in the past! I just think it just political spin and he has ulterior motive - Just wait and see!

why should china trust japan when they still worship their wartime past?

Good Point jackieng - But it's China that has broken most if not all pledges and they are the arrogant dominant Bully in the current relationship!

Just look at their recent act - trying to supply Gaddafi with Arms during the recent conflict - this is while saying to the rest of the world that they support the UN Intervenion on Libya!

hugs and jokes in front of the cameras and behind the scenes dirt, poor people delivered to Japanese politicians who want to make Japan an extension of China and Korea.

Just look at their recent act - trying to supply Gaddafi with Arms during the recent conflict - this is while saying to the rest of the world that they support the UN Intervenion on Libya!

hahahaha! china has never said they supported the UN intervention on libya. china has criticized the intervention many times that i lost count. check your facts.

korea must also beware of japan's intentions. not long ago, japan's new foreign minister Koichiro Gemba says korea is illegally occupying dokdo.

jackieng@korea must also beware of japan's intentions. not long ago, japan's new foreign minister Koichiro Gemba says korea is illegally occupying dokdo.

Korea knows who is the real enemy in this region. China always act like they are the spokeperson of South Korea and North Korea. China does it by exploiting the feelings of Koreans to extract money from Japan. Now the whole world know who is China. It may take another 100 years for China to clean up the image and dirt from thier under pants. Still I doubt other countires trust you China? What you can be proud? the technology you are using is stolen from Japan and US. Your money reserve is just by selling your people and thier internal organs, blood. Your ideology is rotten and you exploit own poor people. Your land mass is stolen from Tibets and Uigurs. Now you help all the dictators of Asia and Africa..the list goes. Still you say you are the better people with more knowledge and SAYINGS.. Shame on you....

@jackieng:

I would consider this statement true for all east Asian countries. There is no openness, there is no trust. China, Japan, Korea, they all share the same problems. They are incapable of dealing constructively with their past. They keep accusing each other all time, they complain, they sow discord. They do the same at the inside of their society. Or do You really believe that the distinction of honne and omote makes a person trustworthy? Do You believe that the Chinese way of dealing with their past - and their present - when political opinions aren't conform with the mainstream is a reason to trust the government? As long as China is not willing to openly and self-critically review things like the Tiananmen incident or the situation they created in Tibet and encourage discussion about it, as long as they maintain censorship of the web in China, trusting the Chinese government is foolish.

It is a very long way for the far east towards relationships based on trust. Even Europe or the US had to learn this the hard way. Even though the western cultures are typically far more direct and honest. It took many years and many wars. The prices were awfully high. China and Japan cannot afford getting into an active conflict. They would both lose everything, because their strength relies on their global relationships.

The disappointed WEN has repeatedly (interval of every 10 to 11 months on the average ) addressed the same statement towards Japan's new government. This is the nth cabinet that is expected to last for less than a year as per past statistics provided that the MP NODA doesnot follow the footsteps of Mr. Naoto KAN who adopted an 'all-out' trick in extending his term.

Japanese not trusting China? I pity that naive and stupidity.......as japan is already have had enough disasters already and their political 'reliances' in the world is 'zero' after the fifth PM sworn in, in 6 years! Japan should seeking 'recovery miracles' from their ally, the United States which has 2.16 million jobless already there....many good advices and useful experiences is out there not China! Good luck!

@Johannes Weber: There is no openness, there is no trust. China, Japan, Korea, they all share the same problems. They are incapable of dealing constructively.................I am completely agree with your visions and that 'struggling' must end for a better east asia! Thats why China has an obligation to takeup the 'responsibility' to lead asia, a leadership that brought asia 'in normal order'! The present Japanese political ideologies is 'sick, chaotic and destructive'! They love confronting against China was nothing but 'a face saving' and 'cowardice of being a defeated nation'! Mr Wen(Chinese PM) to tell Mr Noda who is who in asia because the ranks of GDP has changed!Impy that measure 'by all means'...thats the real definition of 'trust and respect'! Good for asia!

just-a-guy, the SDF is waiting on the Chinese military or do you feel lucky? Soon after the SDF makes defensive contact the Americans will engage the invading Chinese. Wen is nothing but a bad liar. We will defend our homes, lives and freedoms from those that will take them from us.

Maybe Japan needs to look in the mirror of their dysfunctional goverment. Japan continues to have conflict that is not resolve from the WWII with Russia on the Kuriles, Korea with Dokdo, China with Senkaku. All their neighbors are still pissed off at Japan for not acknowledging and whitewashing the past actions. If Japan's goal is to improve relations, then their goverment has to make drastic changes by their actions. Japan has total dependence on China for economics with over 20,000 Japanese companies that operates inside their country. What happens if China and Japan gets into extreme conflict over Senkaku or other issues, and China gets pissed off and freezes the bank assets of Japanese companies operating inside China? This would stop any transaction to Japan and there will be a mass chaos in Tokyo. This is one of the reason, Japan needs to accelerate and diversify their manfacturing and investment into Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries. Currently, Japan has only 1,400 companies in Vietnam, but they need to develop a better plan to increase investments and J-goverment has to work more closely with their goverment.

To YuriOtaniSep. 09, 2011 - 02:47AM JST

just-a-guy, the SDF is waiting on the Chinese military or do you feel lucky? Soon after the SDF makes defensive contact the Americans will engage the invading Chinese. Wen is nothing but a bad liar. We will defend our homes, lives and freedoms from those that will take them from us

Why don't you say the same thing to the Russians too? Japan is just a lap dog hiding behind its American master.

The problem to the Japanese is even the Americans admitted in their 2011 Report on China's Military that by 2020 the Chinese military will be a force to be reckoned with. I am really disappointed to see Japanese people like you do not see the writing on the wall yet. Why can't you people give peace a chance and work with your neighbors for a change?

The lack of political leadership (6 PM in 5 years), the decline of the Japanese population and the rapid growth of its national debt plus the recurring natural disasters on the Japanese people should have made the Japanese people more humbled by now. And yet, I still see people like you having such a cold war mentality. It is estimated by 2015 that domestic investors in Japan will no longer have the means to finance the national debts, after decades of blindly investing in the national debt. From whom are you going to borrow the money then? Your American master? Not a chance...

First of all, I welcome a great comment from PM Wen Jiabao. I personallly like him, however, trusting him is a different story. I am pasting an actual transcript from CNN GPS when he was interviewed by Zakaria. Do you remember why Google had to pull out from China due to a sensorship conducted by Beiijing?

You will be the judge.

ZAKARIA: You speak in your speeches about how China is not yet a strong and creative nation, in terms of its economy. Can you be as strong and creative a nation with so many restrictions on freedom of expression, with the Internet being censored? Don't you need to open all that up if you want true creativity?

WEN (through translator): I believe freedom of speech is indispensable, for any country, a country in the course of development and a country that has become strong. Freedom of speech has been incorporated into the Chinese constitution.

I don't think you know all about China on this point. In China, there are about 400 million Internet users and 800 million mobile phone subscribers. They can access the Internet to express their views, including critical views.

I often logon to the Internet and I have read sharp critical comments on the work of the government, on the Internet, and also there are commendable words about the work of the government.

I often say that we should not only let people have the freedom of speech, we more importantly must create conditions to let them criticize the work of the government. It is only when there is the supervision and critical oversight from the people that the government will be in a position to do an even better job, and employees of government departments will be the true public servants of the people.

All these must be conducted within the range allowed by the constitution and the laws. So that the country will have a normal order, and that is all the more necessary for such a large country as China with 1.3 billion people.

To HNLBill: The SDF will be nervous once their spying satellites 'lost conatct one bye one' after flying over China's space! The senario suggested like YuriOtani shall never happens!

HNLBill, we will be waiting for them though by 2020 I will be over the hill. If America will not protect Japan we would have to do it ourselves. Oh if China destroys our satellites, we would have to eliminate theirs. Really if China wants war, let it happen now! However they have to be the aggressor. globalwatcher, there is no freedom of anything in China. What a liar, speak out against the government and go straight to jail.

Whatever Wen says, historically, the Chinese seem to always shoot themselves in the foot in the global PR game.

Anything linking Japan & China will trigger heated fights here..would these two countries naively start a war between them ? Think it over ! The cow boy will.. as he has been fighting constantly in past decades that ended up with thousands of billion of debts..

China's future control of West Pacific is at stake--it's puppet government in Taiwan needs to win the upcoming presidential election there. To help, it needs to brainwash Taiwanese, telling them that in spite of its thousands of missles aiming at the tiny island, it actually is a peace-loving country: See, how friendly we are with the Philippines, with Japan.