Strong People-to-People Ties Stories About China-Japan Friendly Exchanges

By Xiong Yi/The World and Chongqing

Friendship among people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations and frequent exchanges contribute to deeper friendship.

In February 2020,at the most critical moment of COVID-19 in Chongqing,Mito and Hiroshima,Chongqing’s sister cities in Japan,donated more than 80,000 masks,and Mito sent a small gift that deeply touched the hearts of Chongqing people.Several Japanese elementary school students,with the help of their mothers,crafted some masks by hand to inspire Chongqing to overcome the coronavirus.

In May 2020,Chongqing sent more than 120 boxes of COVID-19 prevention supplies to Mito and Hiroshima,attached a Chinese saying to the effect that “If you offer me a peach,I will give you a white jade for eternal friendship”.As we have experienced COVID-19,we feel for your difficulties,and thus we stand with each other in solidarity.

國之交，在于民相親；民之親，緣于常來往。

2020年2月，在重慶新冠肺炎疫情最嚴峻的時刻，日本友城水戶市、廣島市捐贈了8萬余只口罩。水戶市還送來一份小禮物，深深地打動了重慶人民的心——幾名日本小學生在媽媽的指導下，手工精心制作口罩捐贈，激勵重慶戰勝疫情。

“木瓜瓊琚，永以為好”。同年5月，重慶向日本水戶市、廣島市發出的120余箱防疫物資箱上寫著這樣一句話——我們經歷過疫情，對你們的困難，感同身受，所以守望相助。

Over the years,there have been numerous such friendly exchanges between Chongqing and Japan.

In 1985,Chongqing Automobile Manufacturing Plant funded Qingling Motors Co.,Ltd.,Chongqing’s first Chinese-foreign joint venture,with the Japanese company Isuzu.

Since 1986,Chongqing and Hiroshima and Mito,Jiangjin District and Miyakonojō,as well as Ba’nan District and Sanjo,have become sister cities and friendly exchange cities.

In 1998,Japan became the first country to establish a consular post in Chongqing.

For a long time,with economic connectivity and cultural affinity,Chongqing and Japan have seen their friendly relations deeper and stronger,economic and trade cooperation more fruitful,and cultural and tourism exchanges closer.

In 2022,as we celebrate the 50thanniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations,there are people in Japan missing their old friends in Chongqing.Likewise,there are people in the mountain city of Chongqing missing their old friends in the close neighborhood across the sea.

She is Mihoko,a Japanese girl who was rescued from the battlefield by Marshal Nie Rongzhen.

He is Mitsuru Hanai,a key promoter of Chongqing rail transit construction and an economic advisor to the Chongqing Municipal Government.

He is Hidemasa Mori,a dedicated baseball coach who has sowed the seeds for baseball among youth in Chongqing.

He is Deng Di,a Chongqing native who has made friends by playing table tennis and promoted this sport in Japan.

多年以來，在重慶與日本之間，這樣的友好交往舉不勝舉。

1985年，重慶汽車制造廠出資與日本五十鈴合資成立重慶市第一家中外合資企業慶鈴汽車有限公司。

1986年至今，重慶市與日本廣島市、水戶市，江津區與都城市，巴南區與三條市先后締結國際友好城市、友好交流城市。

1998年，日本在重慶設立領事機構，是最早在渝設立領事機構的國家。

長期以來，重慶與日本經濟相融，人文相親，友好關系持續發展，經貿合作成果豐碩，文旅交流日益密切。

2022年，我們迎來中日邦交正常化50周年。在一衣帶水的鄰邦日本，有人牽掛著中國重慶的老朋友。同樣，在山城重慶也有人思念著隔海鄰國的故交。

她是當年被聶榮臻元帥從戰場上救下來的日本女孩美穗子；

他是重慶軌道交通建設的重要推動者、市政府經濟顧問華井滿；

他是為重慶青少年棒球運動播撒種子、辛勤耕耘的教練森英昌；

他是在日本以球會友、推廣乒乓球運動的重慶人鄧荻；

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