State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan on Wednesday appealed for improving Sino-Japanese relations, and Noda Takeshi, member of the House of Representatives of Japan also urged Japan to give positive response.

 

Tang told Takeshi that China will enhance non-official exchanges and cooperation in economic, cultural, educational and tourist fields with Japan to give new impetus to bilateral ties.

 

Takeshi, also chairman of the Japan-China Society, appreciated China's positive stance on improving bilateral ties, noting that to pull Japan-China relations out of the plight needs "bi-track" action.

 

He said Japan and China should increase exchanges and cooperation to avoid the deterioration of bilateral ties.

 

China-Japan relations are facing "severe difficulties," Tang said, contributing that to the visits by Japanese leaders to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese World War II criminals were honored.

 

In a bid to develop Sino-Japanese ties, Chinese President Hu Jintao made a five-point proposal on improving bilateral ties last year and it's the "very indication" of Chinese government's will, Tang said.

 

Tang also noted that the two sides should abide by the principles set in the three Sino-Japanese political documents and promote bilateral ties in the spirit of "learn from the history and face the future."

 

"It conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples to eliminate political obstacles in the bilateral ties and to pull it back to the normal track at an early date," Tang told the delegation led by Takeshi.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2006)