A senior Chinese official on Thursday called for increased people-to-people exchanges with Japan despite frosty political ties.

"People-to-people friendship is a fine tradition of China-Japan relations, which must be carried forward," State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan told former Japanese Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata in Beijing.

"The current China-Japan relations are not in the fundamental interests of the Chinese and Japanese peoples, and fail to meet the expectations of international community," Tang said.

Ties have been soured by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates Second World War criminals.

The heads of the two countries halted exchange visits more than four years ago when Koizumi began paying homage at the controversial shrine soon after he took office in 2001.

Chinese President Hu Jintao had explained China's policy on China-Japan relations on March 31 in a meeting with the heads of seven Japan-China friendship organizations.

Hu made it clear that the major obstacle in China-Japan relations was Japanese leaders' insistence on visiting the shrine which honors Japan's war dead, including 14 class A criminals.

Hu pointed out that the Chinese government believed the Japanese people's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine were different from the leaders' visits, and ordinary Japanese soldiers who were forced into war were different from the few militarists and criminals.

"Hu's remarks spell out the way to better China-Japan ties and manifest China's sincerity to mend ties," Tang said.

Tang said China and Japan should step up exchanges and cooperation among young people in a bid to help improve overall relations.

Hata said he would work with Japanese who were friendly to China on boosting relations.

The Japan Association of Corporate Executives on Tuesday called on Koizumi to reconsider his annual visit to the shrine.

Hata urged the two countries to conduct substantive cooperation in people exchanges, education and environmental protection.

Hata, who headed a delegation of the Japan-China Junior Training Association, is visiting as a guest of the All-China Youth Federation.

Source: Xinhua