State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said on Monday that the current China-Japan relations are facing the major tasks of deciding on the contents and framework of strategic ties of mutual benefit and deepening mutually-beneficial cooperation.

 

While meeting Akihiro Ota, head of Japan's coalition party the New Komeito, Tang urged the two sides to follow the right development direction of bilateral ties and properly tackle sensitive issues in a bid to secure sound advancement of China-Japan relations.

 

China-Japan relations were at the lowest point over the past years because of former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 Class-A war criminals during the World War II.

 

Koizumi's successor Shinzo Abe paid an "ice-breaking" visit to China last October. The leaders of the two countries agreed to construct the strategic relationship of mutual benefit.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2007)