From AFP:
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on Thursday called for Tokyo and Beijing to unite in facing the world’s environmental and economic challenges, while playing down concerns over China’s military power.
In a wide-ranging speech in Beijing, Aso floated the prospect of a bilateral free trade deal and joint peace-keeping operations, and said closer ties between the historic rivals was the only way forward.
“Cooperation between Japan and China is a pre-condition for taking advantage of Asia’s potential as the growth centre for the 21st Century,” Aso told a gathering of business leaders from both nations.
Aso, who met Chinese President Hu Jintao later Thursday for the final major engagement of his two-day trip, talked about working together to overcome the “once-in-a-century global economic and financial crisis”.
