BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent reception of and address to a large Japanese delegation has generated a ringing resonance in Japan and beyond.
The Saturday event, in which Xi met more than 3,000 Japanese visitors at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, was an indicator of warming China-Japan ties after three years of tension, noted Press Trust of India (PTI).
The Indian media outlet quoted the Chinese president saying that the root of China-Japanese friendship comes from the public and the future of the relationship is in the hands of the people.
Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun described the visit by the delegation, led by Toshihiro Nikai, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's General Council, as a practical step to improve bilateral ties.
Together with Asahi Shimbun newspaper, Kyodo news agency and other heavyweights in the Japanese media circle, Mainichi Shimbun noted that Beijing attaches importance to bilateral people-to-people exchanges, particularly between the young generations of the two nations.
Xi's speech, Kyodo said, also signaled China's readiness to seek a broader thaw of relations with Japan.
On the other hand, Xi's remarks were also a warning against attempts to distort or whitewash Japan's history of aggression, noted Japanese and global media.
PTI quoted Xi as saying that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II (WWII), and the nations that suffered Japan's barbarities seven decades ago will never accept words and actions by the Japanese side that distort history.
Japanese national broadcaster NHK noted that Xi's speech meant China's basic policies on developing relations with Japan remain unchanged.
Quoting Xi's remarks that the crimes committed by the Japanese militarists during WWII should never be covered up, Tokyo Shimbun said the statement indicated China's doubts about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's stance on historical issues.
The address, said Kyodo news agency, also showed that Beijing is closely watching Abe's planned 70-anniversary statement.
Peace and friendly cooperation between China and Japan is the common will of the people, and the friendship between the two countries deserves to be cherished and protected, leading international news agency Agence France-Presse quoted Xi as saying.
