Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit Japan in the near future, and diplomats of the two countries are discussing details of the itinerary, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said on Wednesday.

"There is no such an issue as postponement of President Hu's visit," said Yang at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session.

He made the remarks when answering questions from a Japanese journalist on whether President Hu's state visit to Japan, scheduled for this spring when "cherries are in full bloom," would be postponed to some time after May.

"Spring is a beautiful season in Japan. Both Chinese and Japanese peoples expect President Hu's visit in spring," Yang said, adding that the two sides are engaged in active discussion about the specific date.