The relations between China and Japan have got "good start" in Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's cabinet, said Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo on Friday, calling on both sides to cherish the hard-won situation.

Dai made the remarks in his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, who accompanies Hatoyama here to attend the trilateral leaders' meeting of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Dai urged the two countries to make concerted efforts to promote greater progress of bilateral strategic mutual-beneficial ties.

Okada said Japan would work closely with China to expand win-win cooperation and enrich the connotation of bilateral strategic mutual-beneficial relations.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also met with Okada earlier on Friday, and they exchanged views on international and regional issues including the situation of the Korean Peninsula and east Asian cooperation.

The second meeting of leaders from China, Japan and the ROK is set to open on Saturday morning. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao would participate in the meeting together with Hatoyama and the ROK President Lee Myung-bak.

The first trilateral leaders' meeting outside the ASEAN plus China, Japan and the ROK framework was held in Fukuoka, Japan in 2008.