Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing Monday that China welcomes Japanese companies to actively involve themselves in its economic development.

Wen made the remark when meeting with a delegation from the Japan-China Economic Association of Japan in the Great Hall of the People here Monday afternoon.

The Japanese delegation has Okuda Hiroshi, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, as its top advisor and is headed by Chihaya Akira, chairman of the Japan-China Economic Association.

The Japan-China Economic Association, founded in 1972, is a government-sponsored organization of Japanese corporate circles. Over the past three decades and more, the organization has been sending one group of Japanese business leaders to China every year.

The current delegation consists of more than 60 members, most of whom are representatives of renowned Japanese firms. Beside Beijing, they have visited Wuhan city in central China's Hubei province.

During the meeting, Wen briefed the Japanese guests about the economic situation and development strategy of China.

On Sino-Japan relations, Wen underscored that China places importance on developing bilateral relations. He said the Chinese government has not made any change to the fundamental guideline of advancing the friendly relationship between China and Japan, despite some problems cropping up in Sino-Japanese relations lately.

Wen expressed the wish that Japan would strictly abide by the principles set by the three political documents signed between the two governments.

The three documents are the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty and the Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration.

Wen said in the spirit of taking history as a mirror and being oriented to the future, the Japanese side should join efforts with the Chinese side to maintain and develop a long-term friendly and good-neighborly relationship between the two countries.

The Japanese guests said the Japan-China relationship is every crucial for both sides. The Japanese corporate circles are willing to further expand the scope of cooperation with China to such new areas as resources efficiency and environment protection. They expressed a strong interest in playing a bigger role in China's drive to develop a highly efficient and resources saving mode for the whole society.

The Japanese guests also voiced the wish that the relations between Japan and China would continue to grow in a sound state.

Source: Xinhua