A senior Chinese official on Thursday called for increased people-to-people exchanges with Japan despite frosty political ties.

"People-to-people friendship is a fine tradition of China-Japan relations which must be continued," State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan told former Japanese Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata in Beijing.

"Current China-Japan relations are not in the best interests of the Chinese and Japanese peoples and fail to meet the expectations of the international community," Tang said.

Ties have been soured by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine which commemorates Second World War criminals.

The leaders of the two countries halted exchange visits more than four years ago when Koizumi began paying homage at the controversial shrine soon after he took office in 2001.

Chinese President Hu Jintao explained his policy on relations between the two countries on March 31 at a meeting with the leaders of seven Japan-China friendship organizations.

Hu made it clear that the major obstacle in relations was Japanese leaders' insistence on visiting the shrine which honors Japan's war dead and includes 14 class A criminals.

Hu explained that the Chinese government believed that Japanese people visiting the Yasukuni Shrine was different from the leaders' visits. Ordinary Japanese soldiers who were forced into war were different from the militarists and criminals.

"Hu's remarks spell out the way forward to better China-Japan ties and manifest China's sincerity to mend relations," Tang said. He said the two countries should step up exchanges and cooperation among young people in a bid to help improve overall relations.

Hata said he would work with Japanese who were friendly to China to help improve relations. 

The Japan Association of Corporate Executives on Tuesday called on Koizumi to reconsider his annual visit to the shrine.

Hata urged the two countries to conduct substantive cooperation in people exchanges, education and environmental protection. Hata, who headed a delegation of the Japan-China Junior Training Association, is visiting as a guest of the All-China Youth Federation.

(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2006)