Editor's note: Hannan Hussain is a foreign affairs commentator and author. He is a Fulbright recipient at the University of Maryland and a former assistant researcher at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On September 12, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video speech at the opening ceremony of a seminar commemorating the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations. In his remarks, Wang presented a five-point blueprint to strengthen resilience in bilateral relations, including through joint opposition to camp confrontation and complete adherence to their original political foundation.

Wang's focus on the understanding that both sides are partners and pose "no threat" to each other is a key input to consolidating relations beyond the five-decade mark. China and Japan's future experiences ought to be informed by a strong sense of good-neighborliness and reconciliation that is only possible if partnership serves as the dominant theme of relations, not threat perceptions. Recall the spirit of the four-point agreement reached between Japan and China in 2014: mutual benefit was at the heart of developing strategic ties, and continuity in political, diplomatic and security dialogue was seen as essential to building political trust. Wang's address to the seminar confirms there is ample scope to advance that sense of trust once both sides "remove distractions" and give full play to managing differences.

At the 50-year mark, Tokyo and Beijing's economic and trade achievements offer a promising view of the future. Bilateral trade has increased over a hundredfold over the past 50 years. Trade volume stood at $371.4 billion last year, and two-way investment volume sat at nearly $130 billion. These hallmarks should be seen as compelling results of a largely win-win Sino-Japanese trade experience, culminating in a meaningful incentive to see future strengths through. "The two sides should foster a strong sense of partnership, uphold a global perspective and jointly resist the wrong practice of decoupling, to maintain stable and smooth global industrial and supply chains, as well as fair and open trade and investment environment," said Wang.

Looking ahead, China and Japan's multi-decade partnership can be spared from drifting off course by simply respecting each other's core interests and the fundamentals of reciprocity. For instance, the Taiwan question was a key reference point in Wang's address, rightly regarded as a major issue of principle with no margin for "ambiguity or backsliding." It serves Japanese priorities, because Tokyo has agreed to build "constructive and stable" ties through voluntary efforts. Taking that intent long-term demands optimal play for major historical consensus and foundations, including commitments in the 1972 China-Japan Joint Statement.

That document makes clear that the development of Sino-Japanese relations helps ease tensions in Asia, inspiring pathways to meet regional expectations in earnest. Unity and dialogue are also central to pushing back against the growing risks of containment politics and camp confrontation now facing Asia, demanding dedicated practice of what Wang described as "genuine multilateralism."

It is a welcome sign for Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to signal potential for improving relations. Chief to that pursuit will be greater synchrony between stated intent and policies that reflect it. One opening is to accommodate the historical understanding that China and Japan are cooperative partners. Wang's five-point proposal sheds valuable light on that pursuit. It offers clues on how to better meet the demands of the new era, and aid the "development and revitalization of Asia" altogether.

History is a valuable guide as it confirms the role of people-to-people exchanges in bringing relations to their positive highs in the past. Such people-centric diplomacy was a vital instrument in the 1950s and 1960s, when it laid critical legwork to break ground on a landmark Sino-Japanese normalization. Beijing continues to build on neighborly exchanges to this day, and the fact that human exchanges crossed the 12 million mark before the outbreak of COVID-19 confirms that reciprocity yields fruitful results.

Taken together, Wang's attention to achieving win-win results, fostering friendly understandings and delivering on the political foundation of China-Japan relations is a recipe for choosing lasting common ground over unwanted divergence.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries on CGTN Opinion Section.)