Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met in Tokyo separately with several Japanese party leaders Thursday, with the two sides expressing willingness to further cooperate to promote the long-term and healthy development of bilateral relations.

 

Wen met with Hidenao Nakagawa, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, Akihiro Ota, head of the New Komeito Party, Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, Mizuho Fukushima, the Social Democratic Party leader, as well as with Kazuo Shii, leader of the Japanese Communist Party, and several other party leaders.

 

Wen said that China and Japan are neighboring countries, and developing Sino-Japanese ties and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation are the common wishes of the two nations, and meet the fundamental interests of the two countries.

 

The Chinese government has been paying much attention to the development of bilateral ties, and pursuing a friendly Sino-Japanese relations policy, the Chinese premier said, adding that the goal of his visit is to boost bilateral ties and consolidate the political, economic and social foundation for bilateral relations.

 

As this year marks the 35th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties, the two countries face great opportunities for development, Premier Wen said. As long as the two sides abide by the three political documents and handle the sensitive issues in bilateral relations properly, Sino-Japanese relations will move forward steadily, Wen said.

 

He added that for many years, Japanese political parties have been devoted to developing friendly relations with China. The Communist Party of China (CPC) has made fruitful exchanges with Japanese political parties, which has deepened mutual understanding and trust, he said.

 

The CPC would like to further cooperate with Japanese parties and push bilateral ties forward in a long-term, healthy and steady way, Wen noted.

 

The Japanese side said that Premier Wen's visit boosted the Japanese people's confidence in the future development of Sino-Japanese ties.

 

They said political parties in Japan support the country's friendly cooperation with China in various fields, and hoped that the two nations have more exchanges of top-level visits, and enrich the contents of the strategic, mutually beneficial relations.

 

They also expressed hope for strengthened bilateral cooperation in such sectors as environmental protection, energy, exchanges among the youths of both sides, and coordination in regional and international affairs.

 

Wen also met with Daisaku Ikeda, honorary president of Soka Gakkai, a well-known non-governmental academic institution.

 

Wen arrived here on Wednesday for a three-day official visit to Japan. He is scheduled to conclude his tour on Friday.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2007)