China, Japan hold youth dialogue

A China-Japan youth dialogue was held online Wednesday. As a special activity of the 18th Beijing-Tokyo Forum, the event invited eight youth representatives from governments, media, think tanks and business circles to exchange views on issues facing China-Japan relations, and look into the future of the two countries.

Youth representatives of China and Japan speak at the China-Japan Youth Dialogue of the 18th Beijing-Tokyo Forum online on Dec. 7, 2022. [Photo/CICG]

It was agreed at the dialogue that although the current bilateral relations are not optimistic, opinion polls and actual contacts show that the young people of the two countries have a relatively positive attitude toward each other, and the positive factors of the young people should be brought into full play.

Meng Yang, a representative from the All-China Youth Federation, said that after half a century of development, cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and Japan have reached an unprecedented level, which has laid a solid foundation for the young people of the two countries to expand exchange and cooperation.

Meng said she expects that the two countries will prioritize youth development in the bilateral cooperation agenda and national development agenda.

Futori Hideshi, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan, said Japan should provide more opportunities for young people to learn Chinese and cultivate more China experts to promote friendly exchange between the two countries.

Hao Lei, a young business representative, said that in addition to politics and economics, the youths of the two countries could also deepen cooperation in the fields of animation, poetry, Hanfu, and other cultural industries. 

At the end of the dialogue, youth representatives of the two countries looked ahead to China-Japan relations in 2050 and discussed roles that the younger generation should play. 

The exchanges between the youths of the two countries in the fields of culture and sports have strongly promoted mutual understanding and trust between the two countries, and pushed forward the development of bilateral relations, said Zhao Lei, the Chinese host of the event. The younger generation could become an important driving force for cementing ties between the two countries, Zhao added.