Vice Premier Wang Qishan said Saturday the Chinese government would continue the reform and opening-up drive to create a favorable environment for foreign businesses.

Wang made the promise when meeting with a delegation of Japan' s Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT) led by its chairman Yohei Kono, who is also former speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives.

Wang spoke highly of the JAPIT' s contribution to promoting the Sino-Japanese friendship and the bilateral economic cooperation.

He said Sino-Japanese economies were highly complementary, and China and Japan should increase cooperation in energy conservation, environmental protection, electronic and manufacturing sectors to promote their strategic and mutually beneficial relations.

Kono spoke highly of the Chinese government's efforts to cope with the international financial crisis, saying that the Japanese business community was willing to strengthen cooperation with China in economy, trade and investment.

The JAPIT delegation is visiting China at the invitation of the Chinese Council for Promoting International Trade.