By SPA,
Tokyo : Chinese President Hu Jintao urged Beijing and Tokyo to put their bitter wartime history behind them Thursday, proposing a broad partnership _ as anti-China protesters scuffled with police outside, according to AP.
Hu, on a five-day visit aimed at bolstering revived ties with Japan, has focused consistently on the positive in his stay so far, calling for closer cooperation in business, the environment and regional development.
The president’s comments at the elite Waseda University on the wartime past were crucial, as Beijing has often accused Tokyo of failing to properly atone for its military conquests on the Asian mainland in the 1930s and 40s.
In his 30-minute address, Hu mentioned Japan’s militaristic invasion of China, but that it should not be dwelled upon.
This unfortunate history not only caused tremendous suffering to the Chinese people but also gravely hurt the Japanese people, he said. It’s important for us to remember history, but this does not mean we should hold grudges.