On November 11th, the 2023 Shanghai, China - Kyushu Okinawa, Japan University Student Forum kicked off. The Generation Z university students, at the venue of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka, discussed and looked forward to the prospects of China-Japan people-to-people exchanges from the perspective of the Post-2000s Generation.

the venue of Shanghai Jiao Tong University

the venue of the Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka

In his opening speech, Mr Liu Weidong, Presiden of the Shanghai Western Returned Scholars Association, pointed out that this year marked the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship and the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the Western Returned Scholars Association. With the support of the Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka, young people from Shanghai, China and Kyushu, Okinawa, Japan gathered together to review the friendly people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan and look forward to the future together.

The friendship of nations lies in the affinity of the people, and the affinity of the people lies in the affinity of hearts. At the forum, students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, East China Normal University and Shanghai Maritime University shared a lot, from the culture of Chinese characters, which represented the humanistic commonality between China and Japan, to the stories of Chinese and Japanese scholars and predecessors' exchanges; from the single mode of communication between the two countries to giving full play to the power of the unique mode of communication of Generation Z.

Representatives of Japanese students from the 2023 Kyushu Okinawa University Students' Delegation to China shared their experiences of traditional Chinese culture, modern Chinese urban landscape, and the fruitful results of China's rural revitalization during their visit to China. The vibrant China left a deep and wonderful impression on the Japanese students of the visiting delegation. They said that they would pass on this valuable experience and knowledge to more Japanese youth, build a bridge between China and Japan and carry forward the friendly exchanges between China and Japan.

After the young students' speech, Ding Jian, deputy director of the Center for Japanese Studies of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and vice president of the Shanghai Western Returned Scholars Association Japan Branch, made comments at the Shanghai venue, while Professor Wang Zhiying of Okinawa University, deputy director of the 2023 Kyushu Okinawa University Students' Friendly Visit Delegation made comments at the Fukuoka venue.

Lyu Guijun, the Chinese Consul General in Fukuoka, made the concluding remark.

In his concluding remark, Lyu Guijun, the Chinese Consul General in Fukuoka, said that the development of China-Japan relations in the new era required the joint efforts of the young people of the two countries. It was hoped that the young people of the two countries will give full play to the role of non-governmental ties, strenthen exchanges through multiple channels and in vaious fields, promote the exchange and mutual understanding between the young people of the two countries, understand the development of contemporary China and carry forward the spirit of peace and friendship between China and Japan.