Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong reiterated China's aspiration for friendly relations with Japan Friday in Xi'an while accusing the Yasukuni Shrine visits by Japanese leaders of hurting Chinese people's feelings.

During his meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi and Morihiko Hiramatsu, former governor of Japan's Oita-Ken Prefecture, Zeng said that the Japanese leaders' visits to Yasukuni Shrine which honors 14 Class A Criminals of the World War II severely hurt the feelings of Chinese people and damaged the political basis of bilateral relations.

Murayama Tomiichi and Morihiko Hiramatsu are here to attend a seminar on "one brand name for one village" program, a rural economy development project, held in this capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The program, sponsored by Chinese and Japanese local governments and non-governmental organizations, is advocated by Hiramatsu.

China-Japan relations has undergone development for several generations, which are worth cherishing and maintaining, said Zeng, adding China is not responsible for the grave difficulties in bilateral relations.

Zeng said nobody could block the development of China-Japan friendship which not only complies with the interests of both countries and peoples, but also benefit peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

China engages in long-term and stable Sino-Japanese neighborly friendly cooperation in the spirit of drawing lessons from history and facing to the future on the basis of the principles of the three major political documents signed by the two countries, Zeng said.

Expressing his appreciation of the "one brand name for one village" program, Zeng said the program has boosted the development of rural economy in Shaanxi and other provinces in China.

Zeng urged the peoples of the two countries to carry out various friendly exchanges so as to contribute to improving and developing China-Japan relations.

The Japanese guests acknowledged that sound China-Japan relations is important to the two countries and to peace and stability in Asia. They hoped the two countries could overcome current difficulties and improve bilateral relations.

Source: Xinhua