Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Japanese counterpart, Hirofumi Nakasone, met in New York on Friday and agreed to push forward relations between their two countries.

Yang congratulated Nakasone on taking office as Japan's new foreign minister, and said Sino-Japanese relations have showed a sound momentum of development, and that China wishes to work with Japan to comprehensively implement the various consensuses reached by leaders of the two countries to deepen exchanges and cooperation in politics, economy, humanities and defense and constantly advance their strategic relationship of mutual benefit.

Nakasone, for his part, told Yang that the new Japanese government highly values Japan's relations with China and will actively pursue a policy of developing bilateral ties.

He said the Japanese side stands ready to boost cooperation with China in various sectors to jointly push forward bilateral ties.

The two ministers were meeting in New York on the sidelines of a general debate during the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2008)