TOKYO (AFP) — Most Chinese think they have a good relationship with Japan, but only about one-third of Japanese feel the same way about their neighbours, according to a survey released Monday.
Thirty-six percent of Japanese respondents said the relationship between Japan and China was good, while 57 percent said it was bad, according to the joint poll by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun daily and a Chinese magazine.
In contrast, 67 percent of Chinese saw the relationship positively, against 29 percent who did not.
"These results show that the Japanese see the future of the bilateral relations in a negative light, while the Chinese are more optimistic about them," the Yomiuri said.
Only 19 percent of Japanese respondents said they could trust China, while 56 percent of Chinese said Japan was trustworthy.
Often-tense relations between Japan and China have thawed recently, with President Hu Jintao paying a rare visit to Tokyo in May.
"The Chinese are apparently influenced by their government's change of policy to a 'future-oriented' relationship with Japan in the build-up to the Beijing Olympic Games," the Yomiuri said.
But the Japanese are wary of China due to its military build-up and a recent food scare involving Chinese-made dumplings, it said.
The daily said 1,828 Japanese and 1,286 Chinese responded to the survey, which was conducted last month through face-to-face interviews.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
