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 on 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 along-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 10, 2007)