In a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, Li said that to promote the improvement and development of the China-Japan relations and push forward the bilateral exchange and cooperation in various fields is the common objective of China and Japan.

Li and Aso were meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference.

Li said under the current international and regional situation, the importance of China-Japan relations has exceeded the spectrum of bilateral relations, and the two countries are facing many common challenges and problems in safeguarding regional peace, stability and development.

He added that China hopes the two countries would make joint efforts to break the political impasse in Sino-Japanese relations.

Aso said to push forward the Japan-China friendly relationship in the spirit of the three political documents they've signed is a mutual understanding of the two countries.

He said it is very important for the two countries to strengthen exchange and cooperation in economy and trade, science and technology, culture, youth, political parties, congress and safety. Meanwhile, both sides should enlarge common interests in areas of environment protection, energy and Northeast Asia cooperation.

The Japanese minister said Japan will strictly adhere to its commitment about the Taiwan issue in the Japan-China communiqué and does not support "Taiwan independence."

Li arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday to attend the ASEAN Plus Three Ministerial Meeting, which involves all 10 ASEAN member states, China, Japan and South Korea, the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference and the 13th ASEAN Regional Forum.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2006)