Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda here on Saturday afternoon.

Though the China-Japan relationship has witnessed remarkable progress since ties were normalized 40 years ago, it has also undergone downturns, which have brought profound experiences and lessons, Wen said.

He urged Japan to "truly respect China's core interests and major concerns, carefully and properly handle relevant issues and stick to the correct path of the development of bilateral ties" in accordance with the principles enshrined in the four political documents signed between the two nations.

Wen also reaffirmed China's stance on the Diaoyu Islands and Xinjiang-related issues.

Noda said that Japan has "no intention of interfering with China's internal affairs," adding that Japan will keep the overall situation in mind and work with China to properly handle relevant issues so as to avoid affecting relations.

Japan attaches great importance to advancing its relationship with China, and the country stands ready to reinforce bilateral high-level contacts, political mutual trust, mutually beneficial cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

China's development has provided an opportunity for Japan and the international community, Noda said.

Noda arrived in China on Saturday to attend a trilateral leaders' meeting among China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.