Twenty-six years ago today, on October 23, 1999 (September 15, 1999 lunar calendar), the China-Japan Youth Exchange Framework Cooperation Program was launched. In November 1998, during President Jiang Zemin's visit to Japan, the Chinese and Japanese governments signed the "Framework Cooperation Program on Further Developing Youth Exchanges". The first group of 100 Japanese young people sent by the Japanese government to visit China under the cooperation program arrived in Beijing on October 23, 1999, and began a friendly visit to China. President Jiang Zemin and Japanese Prime Minister Megumi Obuchi sent written congratulatory messages to this end respectively. The full text of the written greetings from President Jiang Zemin and Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi is as follows: The cause of China-Japan friendship in the new century is pinned on the youth of the two countries - to friends who participated in the youth exchange activities between China and Japan Last year, during my visit to Japan, the Chinese and Japanese governments signed the "Framework Cooperation Plan on Further Developing Youth Exchanges". In this beautiful autumn season, the first batch of 100 Japanese young people came to our country for exchange visits. I extend a warm welcome to the visit of the Japanese young people. Youth are the future and hope of the country, and shoulder the historical responsibility of inheriting the past and building on the future. The cause of China-Japan friendship in the new century is pinned on the younger generation of the two countries. I sincerely hope that the young friends of the two countries can follow the trend of history, cherish the hard-won good-neighborly and friendly relations between China and Japan, learn from history, face the future, strengthen exchanges, learn from each other, deepen understanding, enhance friendship, and develop cooperation, so as to establish a friendly and cooperative partnership dedicated to peace and development between China and Japan, and work together to achieve the lofty goal of friendship between the two peoples from generation to generation, and to promote peace, prosperity and progress in Asia and the world. On October 23, 1999, President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China shouldered the responsibility of building a more stable and developing Japan-China relationship. Following President Jiang Zemin's visit to our country last year, I visited your country in July this year, and once again confirmed that Japan and China will face the 21st century and act together for the peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. It goes without saying that this relationship between countries can only be more closely connected with the support of every citizen, especially the young generation. To embody the above ideas, on the occasion of President Jiang Zemin's visit to Japan last year, Japan and China decided to strive to realize a youth mutual visit and exchange program of 50,000 people in the five years from this year to 2003. The visit of the Japanese youth exchange delegation to China began this year as part of this exchange program. Our predecessors have worked tirelessly to establish the Japan-China relationship that is developing today. I believe that you young people are shouldering the responsibility of establishing a more stable and developing Japan-China relationship in the next century. I sincerely hope that you can give full play to your youthful strength and establish a Japan-China relationship that takes joint action for world peace and development. I hope that under the crisp autumn sky in your country, the youths of Japan and China will deepen their exchanges with each other and make this visit to China a pleasant and fruitful one. Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi October 24, 1999