Chinese Foreign Minister: China and Japan will maintain communication to prevent negative impact of individual cases on bilateral relations

Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Photo: VCG

Regarding the death of the boy from the Japanese school in Shenzhen, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday that the two countries agreed to maintain contact to prevent the case from having a negative impact on bilateral relations. He added that both countries recognized each other's efforts to deal with the tragic incident appropriately and calmly.

The statement was made in response to a question about the meeting between China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Japan's Foreign Minister Tsuge Yoshifumi on Monday morning. The two sides exchanged views on Sino-Japanese relations and issues of common concern, Lin said.

The two sides reiterated their stance of valuing and developing China-Japan relations and agreed to work together to implement the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries and comprehensively advance the strategic relationship for mutual benefit, Lin said.

“We have learned that the case is still under investigation. Shenzhen authorities have released information on the status of the investigation. China will continue to provide as much support and assistance as possible to the boy's family in dealing with related matters,” Lin noted.

When asked to comment on the fact that the Shenzhen school had received over 1,000 bouquets of flowers expressing condolences for the boy, most of which came from local Chinese residents, Lin said: “When Chinese people express their condolences on their own initiative, it reflects their simplest feelings of grief and respect for life.”

Chinese culture values ​​friendliness, credibility, justice and unity. It is a culture of peace and tolerance. Our tradition of welcoming all foreign friends with all sincerity and treating them as our equals will not change. And we will do everything possible to protect the safety and property of foreign nationals in China, Lin noted.

Global times