On the recent dumpling poisoning case in Japan, experts said the issue may also be touched upon at the dialogue.

"The media should not exaggerate the case. It is only a specific case and should not pose any big impact on China-Japan relations," said Yang Bojiang, director of the Institute of Japanese Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

He said the two sides may take the dumpling case as an opportunity to discuss how to strengthen bilateral cooperation on food security, such as finding ways to avoid similar cases in future.

The China-Japan strategic dialogue, launched in 2005 amid the "frozen period" of Sino-Japan relations, has been held for seven rounds.

"The strategic dialogue is an important part of the China-Japan cooperation mechanism. It is a general trend for the two countries to develop dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in various fields and on various levels," Yang said.

The eighth strategic dialogue was added to a series of exchanges between the two nations recently.

A regular meeting between the Chinese National People's Congress and Japanese House of Councilors concluded on Wednesday. Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan is currently visiting Japan, while a senior leader of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will visit China next week.

"The recent frequent exchanges can create favorable atmosphere for President Hu's visit to Japan and will also exert a subtle influence on the improvement of bilateral ties," Yang said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2008)