It will be very difficult for the Sino-Japanese relations to make progress if the issue of Japanese leaders' visits to a shrine worshipping war criminals can not be well resolved, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday.

It is not China nor the Japanese people, but the leaders of Japan, to blame for the souring Sino-Japanese ties, Wen said at a press conference following the concluding meeting of the fourth session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC).

The premier stressed that the China-Japan relations could "hardly develop in a smooth manner "if the issue of Japanese leaders' visits to Yasukuni Shrine worshipping class-A WWII war criminals can not be well resolved.

It is China's unswerving effort to develop Sino-Japanese friendly relations from generation to generation, Wen said.

The development of the Sino-Japanese relations should follow the spirit and principle of "taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future" and the three political documents signed when the two countries.

Wen called for the two countries to continue strategic dialogue between the governments so as to remove obstacles affecting the bilateral relations.

"We should also strengthen people-to-people exchanges and enhance mutual understanding and trust," Wen said.

Wen also urged to stabilize and develop Sino-Japanese trade and economic ties, in a bid to expanding "mutual beneficial cooperation for win-win results."

Premier Wen's press conference was telecast live in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday morning.

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2006)