Chinese President Hu Jintao exchanged views with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Toyako on Wednesday on boosting the strategic and mutually beneficial relations.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Wednesday, July 9, 2008. [Photo: Xinhua]

Boosting the strategic and mutually beneficial relations serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples, and is also conducive to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world, Hu Jintao said.

The two leaders met in the northern Japanese resort of Toyako on the sidelines of the Outreach Session of the Group of Eight (G8) summit.

Hu pointed out that during his visit to Japan in May, the two countries signed their fourth political agreement -- the China-Japan joint statement on all-round promotion of strategic and mutually beneficial relations.

The joint statement formulates the guiding principles for the long-term development of bilateral relations and maps out future prospects for China-Japan ties.

China is willing to work with Japan on the implementation of the consensus reached by the two countries in the statement, that is, to continue high-level contacts between the two countries; to hold the second round of high-level economic dialogues between the two nations this autumn in Tokyo; to promote human and cultural exchanges, and enhance defense exchanges, Hu said.

Agreeing with Hu's proposals on promoting bilateral relations, Fukuda said relations between the two countries have made significant progress in recent years.