Sino-Japanese youth exchanges will promote the mutual understanding and friendship between people from both countries at a time when Sino-Japanese relations are facing difficulties, an expert said on Monday.

Xu Jinping, secretary-general with the China-Japan Friendship Association, a non-government organization, said: "Mutual understanding between the young people is vital for keeping a friendly Sino-Japanese relationship."

"In this sense, youth exchanges are indispensable in communication between the two countries," Xu added.

Altogether 200 students will visit Japan at the invitation of the Japanese on May 16. Hailing from Tianjin, Heilongjiang, Shandong and Sichuan, they will visit several cities including Tokyo, Chiba and Ibaraki in a nine-day tour.

The 200 students are the first group of the 1,100 senior middle school students who will visit Japan this year.

The same number of Japanese students will also come to China in 2006.

"These visits are very significant for the Chinese youth to get a more justified understanding of Japan and make friends with the Japanese people," Xu said.

Source: Xinhua