China, Japan reach 10 agreements on people-to-people, cultural exchanges

The second meeting of High-Level Consultation Mechanism on People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges between China and Japan, was held in Beijing on Wednesday, with 10 important agreements reached there.

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister, and Takeshi Iwaya, Japanese minister for foreign affairs, jointly attended the meeting.

The 10 agreement are as follows.

First, the two sides will promote youth exchange visits, and encourage and support study trips between the two countries.

Second, the two sides will deepen cooperation in the field of education, strengthen the exchange of overseas students, and support primary and secondary schools in the two countries to establish sister schools and institutions of higher education to carry out inter-school cooperation.

Third, the two sides will support tourism cooperation and introduce more facilitation measures to promote mutual visits between tourists from the two countries.

Fourth, the two sides will build more bridges for exchanges between sister cities and make good use of mechanisms and platforms such as the China-Japan Governor Forum, the China-Japan-ROK Cultural Exchange Year and the Culture Cities of East Asia to expand friendly exchanges at the local and non-governmental levels.

Fifth, the two sides will strengthen sports exchanges and cooperation, and support each other in hosting major sports events such as the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in 2026.

Sixth, the two sides will support continued cooperation in film, television, music, publishing, animation, games and other cultural and entertainment industries, exchange visits of high-level art groups, and support the translation and publication of classic works between the two countries.

Seventh, the two sides will strengthen exchanges and cooperation between media and think tanks, play a positive role in bilateral relations, and strive to improve public opinion and the environment for public opinion. The two sides will support exchanges and cooperation in new media and encourage exchanges between positive vibes of the two countries.

Eighth, the two sides will conduct exchanges between women's groups and share experience on promoting the common development of men and women. China invites Japan to attend the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

Ninth, the two sides will build the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, into a platform for exchanges and friendship between the two peoples. China supports Japan in hosting the expo, while Japan welcomes China's participation and will provide assistance in the preparation and operation of the China Pavilion.

Tenth, the two sides will hold the third meeting of China-Japan high-level consultation mechanism on people-to-people and cultural exchanges in Japan in due course.

Noting that next year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Wang said that the purpose of remembering this history is to draw lessons from it and cherish the hard-won peace.

China hopes and believes that Japan can once again demonstrate its determination for peaceful development and work with China to promote the sound and stable development of China-Japan relations in the spirit of facing history squarely and looking to the future, said Wang.

Iwaya said Japan is willing to work with China to improve the quality of people-to-people exchange projects, deepen exchanges between sister cities and take more measures to facilitate personnel exchanges.

China, Japan reach 10 agreements on people-to-people, cultural exchanges

China, Japan reach 10 agreements on people-to-people, cultural exchanges

Authorities on the Chinese mainland have put forward a package of 10 policies and measures to boost exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.

The Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee unveiled the package on Sunday, saying it aims to advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and enhance the kinship and well-being of compatriots on both sides of the Strait.

The announcement came as a delegation from the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, led by its chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, is wrapping up a mainland visit from Tuesday to Sunday.

Efforts will be made to explore the establishment of a regular communication mechanism between the CPC and the KMT, and an institutionalized platform will be set up to promote two-way exchanges between young people from the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the office said in a statement.

Steps will be taken to push the coastal areas of Fujian Province -- the mainland province closest to Taiwan -- to share water, electricity, and gas supplies with Kinmen and Matsu, and promote the construction of sea-crossing bridges linking the two areas, when conditions permit.

The mainland will fast-track the full resumption of regular direct flights across the Taiwan Strait, including flights to and from mainland cities of Urumqi, Xi'an, Harbin, Kunming and Lanzhou.

Kinmen will be supported to use the new airport built in its adjacent city of Xiamen in Fujian Province.

A communication mechanism will be set up on the common political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence" to facilitate the entry of Taiwan's agricultural and fishery products that meet the quarantine standards into the mainland.

The mainland will explore building wharves and berths in regions where conditions permit for distant-water fishing vessels from the Taiwan region, and mull providing convenience for the sale of their fish catch on the mainland, according to the statement.

It will also facilitate registration procedures for qualified Taiwan food manufacturers and the entry of their food products into the mainland market.

According to the statement, the mainland will explore the establishment of more trading markets for small-ticket items with Taiwan, and support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from Taiwan to expand business on the mainland.

The statement noted that qualified TV shows, documentaries and animations from Taiwan can be aired on the mainland, adding that people from Taiwan can participate in micro drama production on the mainland in various forms.

The mainland will also promote the resumption of individual tours for Shanghai and Fujian residents to Taiwan, the statement said.

Mainland unveils package of policies, measures to boost ties with Taiwan