Wang Zhaoguo, a senior Chinese legislator, called for unremitting efforts of Chinese and Japanese youth to promote the friendship between the two countries here on Saturday.
Addressing a closing reception of the "China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth", Wang, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said that the leaders of both countries paid great attention to the youth exchange program by setting this activity in 2008, the year to mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty.
"The China-Japan friendship is the common undertaking of the two peoples, which needs the unremitting effort of the two peoples and the youth from the two countries," Wang said.
The youth from China and Japan should not only make joint effort to enhance mutual understanding and narrow the differences, but also have to build their own countries, push forward the bilateral ties and strive for the China-Japan friendship from generation to generation, Wang emphasized.
Wang met the Japanese youth delegation led by former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and former Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura before attending the reception.
Addressing the reception, Yasuo Fukuda said the holding of the youth exchange year activities was conducive to enhancing the mutual understanding of the two peoples and promoting long-term friendly cooperation.
He hoped the friendly exchanges could become the link to the two peoples by increasing mutual understanding and maintaining long-term friendship.
About 1,200 people attended the reception, including 1,000 members of the Japanese youth delegation, and young representatives from various walks of life from China.
The China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth was created last year. Statistics shows that a total of 115 youth exchange activities with 12,000 person-time have been held by the two sides, which mainly led by the All-China Youth Federation and the Japanese Foreign Ministry.