The 9th Beijing-Tokyo Forum opened on Saturday in Beijing with the theme of "peaceful development of East Asia and the mutual responsibilities of China and Japan." More than 400 participants from the political, business, academic and media worlds from the two countries attended the forum.

Tang Jiaxuan, former Chinese State Councilor, urged the two countries to "face up to history" and "rebuild mutual trust" in the main address, with the theme of "stand firm on belief and overcome challenges to usher in a new era of China-Japan relations and East Asia relations."

Zhao Qizheng, former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and former minister of the State Council Information Office, said the forum has become one of the successful platforms of the bilateral diplomatic relations and called on mutual efforts to continue with the forum in the future.

"We've known each other through and through during the past nine years," Zhao said. "The bilateral ties are undergoing a most difficult stage because of the Diaoyu Islands disputes...so more exchanges between the two governments and peoples are needed to tackle the current difficulty."

Zhao also congratulated Tokyo in the successful bidding of the 2020 Olympics.

Former UN undersecretary-general Yasushi Akashi, now chairman of the board of the non-profit, non-political organization, International House of Japan, called for the two countries to work together in establishing a crisis management system to reduce the misunderstanding and bring the intense bilateral ties to track.

Cai Mingzhao, Minister of State Council Information Office said the two peoples attach great importance to the bilateral relations despite the mutual favorable impression between the two peoples has plummeted to a new low, according to a new pre-forum poll.

Japanese Ambassador to China Masato Kitera urged both countries not to over-emphasize the differences but to join hands for a better future.