China's top diplomat Wang Yi met with Yohei Kono, president of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT), on June 4 in Beijing.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, expressed great appreciation for Kono's long-term commitment to the China-Japan friendship and stressed the significance of people-to-people exchanges in the current international situation.

Wang said that China has attached importance to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's recent statement that Japan should draw profound lessons from history and refrain from being an aggressive country.

Wang noted that history cannot be tampered with, and that only by learning from history can both sides truly open up the future.

Kono said that history should not be forgotten, nor should it be denied, and noted that the past cannot be changed but the future can be created through present efforts.

JAPIT is willing to continue promoting friendly cooperation between Japan and China, Kono said.