Japan should maintain stable relations with China: Japanese media

TOKYO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- As a neighboring country with close relations with China, Japan should not blindly cooperate with the U.S.-led Western countries to contain China, but seek communication with China, a Japanese newspaper said in a recent opinion piece.

In a commentary released on Monday, Mainichi Shimbun said China and Japan face the challenge of rebuilding mutually beneficial relations as 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan relations.

In a joint statement reached by the two sides 50 years ago, the two countries extolled the importance of building a cooperative relationship despite different systems, the commentary said.

The importance of maintaining a stable relationship with China has not changed, the article said, noting that in order to build a new type of relationship, Japan should go back to where it started.

Unlike the United States and some other Western countries, Japan, which is geographically close and economically close to China, should pursue coexistence with China, it said.