China and Japan on Saturday concluded a strategic dialogue, with the two sides vowing to build "strategic, mutually beneficial" ties.

 

The three-day dialogue, which began in Beijing on Thursday and concluded in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, on Friday, was the latest move to improve ties.

 

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi? headed the two delegations at the meeting, officially known as the seventh round of China-Japan strategic dialogue.

 

The two vice foreign ministers smiled and traded jokes prior to the start on Thursday.

 

"As participants in the dialogue, both of us are happy about the improvements in bilateral ties," Dai told Shotaro before their closed door meetings began.

 

Echoing Dai's views, Shotaro joked that it was the first time that he had smiled while talking with Chinese officials at the strategic dialogue.

 

The first round of the strategic dialogue was held in Beijing in May 2005.

 

"The China-Japan strategic dialogue was initiated at a time when bilateral relations were faced with great difficulties," Dai said in his opening remarks in Diaoyutai State Guesthouse,

 

"The strategic dialogue played a role in removing political obstacles in bilateral relations and getting relations back on track," Dai said.

 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a landmark visit to China in October last year, the first since he took office last September. Abe's visit was widely seen as a "turning point" in relations.

 

Both Dai and Shotaro said they still bore a "heavy responsibility" to promote ties.

 

The two delegations comprised about 20 Chinese and Japanese officials.

 

The two sides discussed building "strategic, mutually beneficial" ties and had "frank" and "in-depth" exchanges of views on how to maintain the sound momentum of improving and developing bilateral ties, according to a statement released by Chinese Foreign Ministry at the end of the dialogue.

 

This year marks the 35th anniversary of normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will pay an official visit to Japan in April.

 

"This provides an important opportunity for advancing bilateral ties, and both sides should work for a complete success of the visit and for long-term, sound and stable progress of bilateral ties," Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told Shotaro.

 

Li urged Japan to observe the three China-Japan political documents and properly resolve "sensitive" issues so as to maintain the momentum of improvement and growth of bilateral ties.

 

The strategic dialogue was one of a string of active exchanges between the two countries in the new year.

 

Earlier this month, a delegation from the New Komeito Party, the minority partner in Japan's coalition government, visited China. Chinese President Hu Jintao told New Komeito party chief Akihiro Ota that he hoped the two countries could maintain the good momentum.

 

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in Cebu, the Philippines, in mid January.

 

Wen and Abe agreed to increase exchanges of high-level visits and strategic dialogue, and to expand cooperation in energy, environmental protection, finance and the high-tech industry.

 

Nikai Toshihiro, chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), also visited China this week.

 

Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan told Nikai, "The prerequisite of building strategic, mutually beneficial ties is to step up strategic mutual trust."

 

In his policy address to parliament on Friday, Abe vowed to make efforts to build strategic, mutually beneficial ties with China.

 

"These moves indicate that building strategic and mutually beneficial ties is on the agenda of the Chinese and Japanese governments," said Jin Xide, a research fellow on Japanese studies at the China Academy of Social Sciences.

 

"Yet as the political foundation, public sentiments and opinions on China-Japan relations are relatively fragile, it will be a difficult process to build this relationship," Jin said. China and Japan agreed to hold the next round of the strategic dialogue in Japan at a "convenient time" for both sides, according to China's Foreign Ministry.

(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2007)