China's top legislator, Wu Bangguo, on Wednesday called for improving Sino-Japanese ties by enhancing party and people exchanges and promoting economic and cultural cooperation.

 

Wu, also member of the Standing committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was speaking in a meeting with Japanese Liberal Democratic Party former Vice-President Yamazaki Taku.

 

"Especially when there are difficulties in our relations, parties and statesmen in China and Japan should look over the situation from a higher point of view and preserve the political foundation of bilateral ties," Wu told Yamazaki in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

 

He urged the two sides to strive to return bilateral relations to a sound and stable development track.

 

President Hu Jintao met with the heads of seven Japan-China friendship organizations in Beijing on March 31 and voiced China's stance on its relations with Japan.

 

"President Hu's remarks illustrated the principled stance of the Chinese Communist Party and government on visits by Japanese leaders to the Yasukuni Shrine and the aspiration to improve ties," Wu said.

 

The shrine honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including the Class A criminals from the World War II. Hu offered talks with Japanese leaders as soon as they make an unequivocal decision to stop visiting the Yasukuni Shrine.

 

"Sino-Japanese friendship is not an inane slogan, but the only right choice to ensure common development and prosperity," Wu said.

 

Yamazaki said Japan and China were partners as well as neighbors and both wielded importance influence in Asia and the world. China's development was an opportunity, rather than a challenge, for Japan.

 

Maintaining the friendship between Japan and China was conducive to mutual development and to world peace and prosperity, he said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2006)