Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday he is ready to join hands with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in playing a strategic guiding role to promote new development in the China-Japan relationship.

In a telephone conversation with the Japanese leader, Xi stressed that China and Japan are crucial close neighbours and partners for each other.

As key players in Asia and the world, the two countries enjoy various common interests and wide cooperative space, he noted, adding that with joint efforts of the two sides, China-Japan relations have gotten back on track and maintained a positive momentum.

In line with the principles and spirit of the four China-Japan political documents, China stands ready to work with the new Japanese government to properly handle key sensitive issues including historical ones, continue to enhance political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and expand people-to-people exchanges amid efforts to build bilateral relations that meet the requirements of the new era, Xi stressed.

The Chinese president pointed out that constantly expanding common interests for the benefits of the two peoples is the essential need of the new era for China-Japan relations, saying that at present, amid the raging COVID-19, it has become a common policy choice of all nations to battle the pandemic, stabilize the economy and safeguard people's livelihood.

China and Japan can support each other and achieve win-win outcomes, Xi said, adding that economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has pulled off growth despite the pandemic, showcasing strong resilience and great potential.

Noting that China is stepping up efforts to foster a new, dual-cycle development architecture with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and with domestic and international development reinforcing each other, he said it is hoped that the two sides will jointly safeguard stable and smooth industrial chains and supply chains, as well as fair and open trade and investment environments, and improve the quality and level of the bilateral cooperation.

He added that China supports Japan in hosting a successful Olympic Games in the coming year.

China and Japan jointly shoulder the important responsibility of maintaining world peace, stability and development, Xi stressed.

In accordance with the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, both sides should actively advocate and practice multilateralism, firmly uphold the international order and system with the United Nations at its core, and strengthen communication, coordination and cooperation under the mechanisms of multilateral institutions and regional cooperation, he said, adding that the two countries should join hands to deal with various global challenges and make positive contributions to Asia's prosperity and development.

For his part, Suga said Japan attaches great importance to China and regards Japan-China relations as one of the most important bilateral relations.

Noting that the two countries have supported each other in combating the raging pandemic, Suga said a stable Japan-China relationship is not only in the interests of the two peoples, but also indispensable to world peace and prosperity.

Suga said he hopes to maintain close contact with President Xi, and commits to strengthening bilateral economic and trade cooperation and deepening cultural and people-to-people exchanges, so as to lift Japan-China relations to a new level.

The Japanese side stands ready to keep close communication with China, ensure the signing of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement within the year, accelerate the negotiations on China-Japan-Republic of Korea Free Trade Zone, and work together to safeguard the stability of industrial chains and supply chains in the region, he said.

The two sides also exchanged views on issues of mutual concern. 

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