On January 17, 2010, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi who was attending the fourth Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Forum for East Asian-Latin American Cooperation (FEALAC) in Tokyo, Japan and Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada exchanged instruments of ratification of the Agreement on Consular Relations between the People’s Republic of China and Japan signed in Beijing in October 2008 and jointly signed the certificates of instrument of ratification after holding a bilateral meeting, marking the completion of procedures for the entry into force of the Agreement which will officially take effect on February 16, 2010.

To strive for an early signing and conclusion of the entry into force proceedings of the bilateral consular agreement is a requirement of the joint Press Communiqué issued by the Chinese and Japanese governments on strengthening bilateral exchanges and cooperation during President Hu Jintao’s state visit to Japan in May 2008. Entry into force of the Agreement will help maintain the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese and Japanese citizens and further promote the development of bilateral strategic and mutually beneficial relations.