Before wrapping up his first official visit after taking the reins, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a cordial dialogue with Wu Bangguo, China's parliament chief, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), pointed out that both China and Japan are big nations in Asia. It is the only choice for both sides to develop good neighborly ties, which conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples, and benefits regional stability and world peace.

Wu urged the two countries to look at bilateral relations in a long and strategic perspective.

"The two sides should continue to 'take history as a mirror and look into the future,' abide by the principles set in the three Sino-Japanese political documents, and steer the direction of bilateral relations and settle history problems and the Taiwan issue properly," Wu said.

Wu noted that the longstanding friendship between the two peoples had secured the consistent development of bilateral relations. He suggested China and Japan promote exchanges in non-governmental and cultural fields and the communication between the youth in the hopes of further strengthening bilateral ties.

Wu said that the NPC, China's top legislative body, has established a regular exchange mechanism with its Japanese counterpart and he hopes this channel can play its due role in promoting a peaceful neighborhood.

Abe agreed that mutual understanding and trust between the two peoples is the foundation for future development. The Japanese side is happy to see frequent exchanges between the parliamentary organizations of the two countries. Japan also hopes to improve understanding between the two peoples and to promote bilateral relations to a higher level at the 35th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties between China and Japan.