On December 5, 2024, Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong met with a visiting delegation headed by President of the Japan-China Friendship Association (JCFA) Tokuichiro Utsunomiya, and they had an exchange of views on China-Japan relations as well as people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Sun Weidong recalled the contributions to the resumption and development of China-Japan relations made by the elder generation of visionaries from both countries, including Tokuma Utsunomiya, Tokuichiro Utsunomiya's grandfather, also the third president of the JCFA, and spoke positively of the important role played by the JCFA in promoting friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples, saying that people-to-people friendship is a valuable asset in China-Japan relations. He expressed the hope that the JCFA will cherish and carry forward the dedication and efforts of the elder generation of friendly personages from both countries in developing bilateral relations, promote exchanges between the two peoples and on the sub-national level, especially among the youth, and encourage broad participation from all sectors of society and the public of the two countries in the cause of China-Japan friendship to continuously inject positive energy into the improvement and development of China-Japan relations.

Tokuichiro Utsunomiya said that the JCFA will continue to carry forward the tradition of promoting official exchanges through people-to-people interactions, deepen and expand exchanges between Japan and China in various fields, enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, and make unremitting efforts for the improvement and development of Japan-China relations.