China-Japan Relations: Abe plans to expand exchanges with China

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01:52

Amid the busy schedule of meeting Chinese officials and signing deals, Abe also visited Peking University and held a talk with students there. CGTN's Feng Yilei reports.

Face-to-face with young talents from one of China's top schools, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviewed the strategic relations of China and Japan.

He pointed to the increasing interaction between the two countries' peoples as a sign of a stable relationship.

SHINZO ABE JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER "The number of Chinese and Japanese visiting each other's country has grown from forty thousand to over ten million in the past four decades. I believe the exchanges among university students is the cornerstone of the Sino-Japanese friendship. And mutual understanding will keep our diplomatic relations on the track."

Students from Peking University shared their concerns about the major issues that China and Japan both face, including economic recovery and industrial upgrades.

Abe said more people from both sides should get involved in cooperative research and development.

And the Japanese leader also recognized the significance of cultural exchanges, especially the impact of pop culture on the young generation.

His government plans to make 2019 a year of young people sharing experiences.

SHINZO ABE JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER "We plan to expand the scale of youth exchanges to over 30-thousand people in the next five years. We will further ease visa restrictions and we welcome more Chinese students to come to Japan."

Students attending the event said they were encouraged by such commitment.

CHEN XIAO, STUDENT PEKING UNIVERSITY "I have developed strong relationships with Japanese youth I met at a conference of college students in 2017. We will devote ourselves more actively to building a bridge of friendship between China and Japan."

FENG YILEI BEIJING "Chinese President Xi Jinping once said that friendship between China and Japan is rooted among the people. And the future of that friendship is in the hands of today's youth. Abe's meeting with students once again sends a message that the two nations look forward to more fruitful achievements through increasing people-to-people exchanges. FYL, CGTN, BJ."