China News Service, Beijing, May 25 (Reporter Kan Feng) This year and next are the years of promotion of cultural and sports exchanges between China and Japan, and next year will usher in the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.

Perhaps many people do not know that more than half a century ago, the breaking of the deadlock in Sino-Japanese relations started with cultural and sports exchanges, and Marshal Chen Yi's Go played an important role.

　　After the founding of New China, China and Japan had no diplomatic relations, and there were only some non-governmental exchanges between the two countries.

In October 1959, a delegation of Japanese Liberal Democratic Party congressmen headed by Kenzo Matsumura visited China.

Matsumura is a veteran of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party. He has served as a Japanese cabinet minister for many times. He advocates improving Sino-Japanese relations and normalizing diplomatic relations.

　　What Matsumura did not expect was that during this visit to China, he and Vice Premier Chen Yi, who was also Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, became friends at first sight.

　　Chen Yi is a well-known Go master, and Matsumura also loves Go. Apart from the talks, the two played against each other many times.

　　During the exchange between the two, Chen Yi proposed to Songcun, “Go, table tennis, calligraphy, and orchids can all communicate, not about politics, but only about friendship.” Songcun readily agreed.

　　Under the impetus of Matsumura, in 1960, the first Japanese Go delegation visited China.

Two years later, the Chinese Go delegation paid a return visit smoothly.

　　In 1964, 29 well-known Japanese chess players issued an appeal to mobilize 8 million Japanese Go enthusiasts to collect signatures from the public and demand the restoration of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.

In 1972, China and Japan realized the normalization of diplomatic relations, and "Go diplomacy" made an indelible contribution to it.

　　Sitting against each other and playing against black and white, Go contains Eastern wisdom and philosophy. The older generation of Chinese Communists such as Chen Yi used this little chess piece to instigate the diplomatic relations between the two East Asian countries.

　　In fact, since its establishment, the Communist Party of China has been a political party that is good at using innovative forms to strengthen external relations.

　　During the war, the external work of the Chinese Communist Party won the support of the international progressive forces.

For example, in September 1931, the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of Japan jointly issued a manifesto strongly opposed to Japan's occupation of the three provinces of Northeast China.

Another example is that in June 1936, the American journalist Edgar Snow went to the northern Shaanxi Soviet area to cover and report, and his book "Red Star Shines on China" made the world understand the Communist Party of China.

　　After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, as the ruling party, the CCP’s innovative thinking on foreign exchanges began to be reflected in the diplomacy of the Republic. "Go diplomacy", "ping-pong diplomacy", "panda diplomacy"...These have all become good stories in the history of world diplomacy.

　　Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's sincere, friendly, flexible and pragmatic diplomatic innovation has attracted the attention of the world.

　　"Football diplomacy," "hometown diplomacy," "point-pointing diplomacy"... The personal charm and demeanor of a great power displayed by President Xi Jinping on the diplomatic stage have frequently become the focus of the world.

　　In addition, leading the trend of the times with the idea of ​​a "community with a shared future for mankind" and promoting the construction of the "Belt and Road" to promote win-win cooperation... China's diplomatic innovation also contributes Chinese wisdom to the improvement of global governance.

　　It is true that no matter how the form and content changes, the purpose of China's foreign policy has always been to maintain world peace and promote common development.

　　As Xi Jinping said at a meeting with Chinese and foreign journalists after the closing of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 25, 2017:

　　"The Communist Party of China and the Chinese people have come from suffering and are deeply aware of the preciousness of peace and the value of development. The Chinese people are confident in their self-respect, and will firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. At the same time, they will work with the people of other countries to actively promote the building of the destiny of mankind. The community will continue to make new and greater contributions to the noble cause of peace and development of mankind." (End)