He presented President Hu with a Chinese poem as a symbol of their friendship and expressed hopes for enduring friendly relations between Japan and China. President Hu expressed his happiness on meeting Mr. Ikeda for the third time.
Sensei's poem reads:
國富邦和日日新
家家充裕感恩深
主施仁政行王道
席不暇暖為人民
古來文化漢土求
月氏睿智福共籌
錦繡中華迎舊友
濤聲友好萬代流
He thanked him for his courage in promoting Sino-Japanese relations, referring particularly to Mr. Ikeda's 1968 call for the normalization of ties between China and Japan. He said that even during times when the relationship has been tense, Mr. Ikeda has always proffered constructive suggestions from a broad historical perspective.
