Sino-Japanese relations may be at their best in three decades, but neither side can afford to be complacent if those ties are to continue to improve, says Cui Tiankai, the new Chinese ambassador to Japan.
Speaking in Tokyo yesterday, Mr Cui identified several areas in which improvements had been made, including discussions over natural resources beneath the East China Sea and a joint examination of the two nations' history, and expressed the hope that bilateral ties could be further enhanced.
'Relations are improving, and I'm very happy about that, but as between any countries, there are still problems,' he said in response to a question about the Yasukuni Shrine, where the souls of Japan's war dead are revered, and a rallying point for many on the far right of Japanese politics.
'But as long as we have a strong framework and political basis, by working together we can bridge whatever differences we might have, and on the whole, I am optimistic about our future relationship.'
Formerly an assistant minister of foreign affairs in Beijing, Mr Cui took up his post in Tokyo three months ago, his arrival coinciding with a steady warming of ties between the two countries after Yasuo Fukuda was named Japanese prime minister.
'I believe I have come to Japan at the right time,' Mr Cui said. 'Prime Minister Fukuda made a very successful visit to China, our two leaders had very substantive discussions and reached important agreements to further develop our relations.'
Proof of that will be underlined by the arrival of President Hu Jintao in Japan in the spring, the first visit by a Chinese head of state in a decade.