Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing Tuesday that Anti-Japanese War anniversary celebrations in China will not undermine Sino-Japanese relationship.

Liu made the remark at a regular press conference when asked to comment on Japanese government's worry that the celebrations could trigger new wave of anti-Japanese sentiments in China.

"The celebrations will not undermine the relationship. On the contrary, they are conducive to it, because they will enable both nations to cherish the hard-won friendship and cooperation on a correct view of history," Liu said.

A decree issued by the Central Committee of China's Communist Party on May 7 instructed local authorities to stage celebrations commemorating the 60th anniversary of Anti-Japanese war. But it did not specify the agenda.

During World War Two, Japan invaded China in 1937 and surrendered in 1945 after two atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During the eight-year war 35,000,000 Chinese died.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visit to Yasukuni Shrine, which is dedicated to Class-A war criminals, and Japanese textbooks that whitewash the wartime atrocities have triggered the current anti-Japanese sentiment in China.

"It is not only the Chinese people who should remember the victory, but also the Japanese people, because on that day it is not only the Chinese people who were alleviated from atrocities but also the Japanese people," Liu said.

Liu said China expects both sides to learn lessons from history and look into the future.