Hu Jintao delivers speech at Waseda University

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-08-2008 17:03

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Chinese President, Hu Jintao, has just delivered a speech at Waseda University in Tokyo, one of Japan's most prestigious universities. He reviewed the Sino-Japanese friendship and called on young people of both countries to work together for a better future.

Chinese President, Hu Jintao, has just delivered  a speech at Waseda University in Tokyo, one of  Japan's most prestigious universities.

The Chinese president aims to enhance friendship and cooperation while in Japan.

On Thursday, Hu Jintao addressed students at Waseda University, which plays an important role in Sino-Japanese friendly exchanges.

President Hu Jintao spoke of the comprehensive development in Sino-Japanese ties since the two countries normalized their relationship in 1972.

Bilateral trade surged from 1.1 billion US dollars in 1972 to 236 billion US dollars last year.

And by the end of last year, the two countries had over 230 pairs of friendship cities. The number of people-to-people exchanges topped five million.

And now, Hu Jintao says, there are new opportunities for even further development.

He and Japanese leaders have agreed to work together to push forward the Sino-Japanese partnership by expanding people-to-people exchanges and enhancing strategic mutual trust.

Chinese president Hu Jintao said, "Mutual trust is the premise if people want to make friends with each other. It is also the foundation if a country wants to seek a stable relationship with another. China and Japan are both important countries in Asia and even the whole world. Both sides should treat each other's development objectively. They should see each other as partners that are mutually-beneficial through cooperation, rather than mere rivals. They should support each other's peaceful development and treat it as an opportunity rather than a threat. They should stick to solving differences by dialogue and consultation."

2008 has been designated as the year for friendly exchanges between youths of the two countries.

President Hu Jintao announced that the Chinese government will invite a hundred Waseda students for a visit.

Editor:Zhang Ning