Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan held a meeting with Nikai Toshihiro, chairman of the General Council of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Land and Transport Minister Fuyushiba Tetsuzo in Beijing Sunday.

Tang said the Sino-Japanese relations are facing a good opportunity for fresh development. China will continue to pursue a friendly and cooperative policy toward Japan, and hopes the two sides can grasp the opportunity and put the bilateral strategic and reciprocal relations into concrete actions, so as to promote a long-term, sound and stable development of bilateral relations.

Nikai Toshihiro and Fuyushiba Tetsuzo said the Japanese side is willing to work with China, and take the development of Sino-Japanese relations and upcoming Olympic Games as opportunities to contribute to the friendship between the two peoples.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations. The two Japanese officials are in China for the closing ceremony of a tourism exchange activity commemorating the anniversary, which involves about over 30,000 people.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2007)