Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue Saturday quoted Premier Wen Jiabao as saying that to develop China-Japan relations, it is a must to adhere to the view of "taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future" and abide by the principles of the three major documents including the China-Japan Joint Declaration.

 

When asked to comment on Wen's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro in Bali, Indonesia, Zhang said that Premier Wen had made it clear that Japan should adopt a correct attitude toward history, and the urgent matter at present on the part of Japan is to properly handle the incident resulting from Japan's abandoned chemical weapons that harmed Chinese people in the Chinese city of Qiqihar.

 

At the same time, Japan should quicken its pace in destroying chemical weapons it abandoned in China during World War II, Wen was quoted as saying.

 

Zhang said the two leaders' meeting did not touch on the issue of their mutual visits.

(Xinhua News Agency October 12, 2003)