State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said on Monday that the current
China-Japan relations are facing the major tasks of deciding on the
contents and framework of strategic ties of mutual benefit and
deepening mutually-beneficial cooperation.
While meeting Akihiro Ota, head of Japan's coalition party the
New Komeito, Tang urged the two sides to follow the right
development direction of bilateral ties and properly tackle
sensitive issues in a bid to secure sound advancement of
China-Japan relations.
China-Japan relations were at the lowest point over the past
years because of former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's
repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 Class-A war
criminals during the World War II.
Koizumi's successor Shinzo Abe paid an "ice-breaking" visit to
China last October. The leaders of the two countries agreed to
construct the strategic relationship of mutual benefit.
(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2007)
