More than 50 percent of those polled in China and 40.9 percent in Japan are optimistic about bilateral ties between the two countries since the exchange of "ice-breaking" and "ice-thawing" visits by the two prime ministers, according to a survey released on Friday.

The survey was conducted by China Daily, Japanese think-tank Genron NPO and Peking University. It covered 1,300 people in Japan and 3,000 in China. Most said economic and environmental cooperation would benefit both countries.

About 65 percent of the Chinese respondents and 51 percent of the Japanese respondents expressed optimism that the two economies can collaborate for the future of Asia.

"Compared with the survey in 2006, we see an obvious increase in the percentage of Chinese and Japanese people who feel neighborly with each other," Li Yu, a professor at Peking University, said.

In China, the figure regarding those who had a "good" or "quite good" impression of Japan saw a growth of 18.7 percent compared with last year.

In Japan, the figure for those who thought there were "big" or "moderate" improvements increased by 14.2 percent.

Li said the survey showed it was vital to build a broad public-opinion base facilitating exchanges between the two nations to promote mutual understanding.

The survey was released a week before the opening of the third Beijing-Tokyo Forum.

Support for the forum by the two countries' influential figures in the political arena, business, and culture has heralded a good beginning for "second-track diplomacy" between the two countries, the survey said.

(China Daily August 18, 2007)