Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship (April 12, 1978)

Beijing, China, Aug 12, 1978.[Photo/People's Daily]

Tokyo, Japan, Oct 23, 1978. [Photo/People's Daily]

Treaty of peace and friendship between the government of the People's Republic of China and the government of Japan

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, the Chinese Government has, in accordance with the provisions of the Joint Statement, made its efforts for the conclusion of the agreements on trade, aviation, fishery, etc. with the Japanese Government in a bid to further develop Sino-Japanese good-neighborly and friendly relations.

The two sides signed in 1974 three agreements on trade, aviation and navigation, and the year after, the agreement on fishery. All these agreements reflect the two sides' spirit of adhering to the Joint statement of the two Governments, their position against "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" and their desire for further developments of the amicable and cooperative relations in all fields.

From 1975, China and Japan started negotiation for the conclusion of a treaty of peace and friendship, and in August 1978, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries signed in Beijing the Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between the People's Republic of China and Japan.

The Treaty stipulates:

The Contracting Parties shall develop durable relations of peace and friendship between the two countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence;

The Contracting Parties affirm that in their mutual relations, all disputs shall be settled by peaceful means without resorting to the use or threat of force;

The Contracting Parties shall endeavor to further develop their economic and cultural cooperation and to promote exchanges between the people of the two countries.

The two parties declare in the Treaty that neither of them should seek hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region or in any other regions and that each was opposed to efforts by any other country or group of countries to establish such hegemony.

The Treaty also stipulates in explicit terms that "the present Treaty shall not affect the position of either Contracting Party regarding its relations with their countries".

In October of the same year, Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping visited Japan upon invitation, and the two sides exchanges instruments of ratification of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

Vice-Premier Deng attended the ceremony of exchanging the instruments of ratification and said to premier Minister Takeo Fukuda: The conclusion of the Treaty is a political reaffirmation of the friendly relations between the two countries. In the present turbulent situation, China needs friendship with Japan and vice versa.

He also pointed out: The China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship is a continuation and development of the Joint Statement of 1972 between the Chinese and Japanese Governments and of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations. It has further consolidated the foundation of the good-neighborly and friendly relations between the two countries and opened up broader vistas for further increase of exchanges in the political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological fields. It will also exercise a positive impact on the maintenance of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

Treaties between China and Japan