China and Japan should work together to share global burdens and responsibilities because of their capacity to influence the Asian economy, the Japanese ambassador to China said yesterday.
China's rapidly expanding economy would soon surpass that of Japan, but Japan would maintain its advantage, Yuji Miyamoto said in Hong Kong.
'Japan will never cease to be a leading economic giant because today's Japan is the result of the Japanese way of life, or Japan itself,' the ambassador said.
'And that Japan will not disappear for a century or so. This Japan is now determined to speak out to defend or further its interests or integrity that it defines itself.'
But Mr Miyamoto also said that, based on experience, any confrontation between China and Japan would harm a viable political or economic framework in the region.
'In other words, Japan and China must construct a reliable, predictable and co-operative bilateral relationship based upon long-term and well-defined national interests,' he said.
The ambassador said full recognition and understanding of 'strategic common interests' would be prerequisites for a new formula for Sino-Japanese ties.