China and Japan on Monday pledged continued efforts to push forward the development of relations between the two countries and agreed that there is now a good momentum for the bilateral relationship.

 

In a telephone conversation, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso agreed that the overall bilateral relationship now maintains a good momentum for improvement and development.

 

That conforms to the fundamental interests of the two-countries and peoples and is also conducive to peace and development in the region and the rest of the world, they said.

 

The two ministers agreed that China and Japan should continue to work together to promote the further development of bilateral relations.

 

They also agreed to further strengthen coordination to promote the process of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, in efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula at an early date.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2006)