Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai met Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai in Tokyo on Sunday. The two sides have agreed on formulation of a mid-and long term action plan for trade and economic cooperation and expected to hold dialogues at the bureau directors' level in June.

Bo is the highest visiting Chinese official to Japan since Vice Premier Wu Yi's trip there last year.

He told the media that his talks with his Japanese counterpart were focused on the bilateral trade and energy strategy under the high oil prices. He disclosed that ministerial meetings would be possible to boost the trade and economic ties between China and Japan.

The two sides will launch consultations over substantial business issues to formulate the mid-and long term framework of the economic cooperation.

Toshihiro Nikai appreciated Bo's proposal of drafting such a plan and hoped it would include concrete measures.

The action plan which spans five to ten years will reinforce crackdown on fake and pirated products and protect the intellectual property rights, as well as investment regulations.

Reports say China and Japan have decided to hold talks on economic and trade ties at the level of bureaus in June or July.

In addition, the two sides have confirmed again that consultations over the exploitation of oil field in the East China Sea would be intensified.

The two sides also have reached agreement on application of Japanese technologies to improve energy efficiency in China. Consultations on this will be made in Beijing in June at the earliest.

Bo attended the China-Japan forum on energy Saving in Tyoto on Monday where more than 700 representatives from China and Japan were present. The forum itself is one of the fruits of Toshihiro's visit to Beijing early this year.

Bo pointed out that environmental protection is one of the important areas of the China-Japan trade and economic ties as China had resolved to make more efforts on environmental protection while Japan had successful experience in this regard.

Toshihiro said Japan pinned big hopes on cooperation with China on energy-saving and environmental protection and would make the forum an important platform for broader exchanges.

Bo highlighted the significance of the Sino-Japanese relations in the development of Asia and the world. Toshihiro, on his part, believed that efforts of both countries had led to growing new hopes in the relationship.

In reply to Bo's invitation to Japanese businesses for the mid-China trade fair, Toshihiro promised to encourage Japanese companies to attend the fair to be held in Hunan in September and the World Expo in Shanghai.

Toshihiro expressed Japan's willingness of making more efforts on promoting the trade and economic ties with China.

Bo reiterated China's stance that China attaches importance to the trade and economic cooperation with Japan and warned that the chilly political relations have retarded such cooperation.

He told his Japanese counterpart that it is some Japanese leaders, not China or the Japanese people, that is responsible for the dilemma in the bilateral relationship because of their visits to the Yasukuni shrine for the war dead, including convicted top World War II criminals.

He said Chinese President Hu Jintao's speech during his meeting with seven Japan-China Friendship organization at the end of March this year demonstrated the Chinese government's positive attitude and sincerity toward developing China-Japan friendship.

He also mentioned Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's three proposals for promoting the bilateral relations this year.

He urged Japan to fully realize China's constructive efforts and respect the history to create favorable condition of further growth of the bilateral relations.

Relations between the two countries have iced up in recent years due to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni shrine, the disputes on the East China Sea oil field and Japanese textbooks.

Kyodo News says that the place where Toshihiro received his Chinese guests is dedicated to important state guests, gesturing Japan's readiness of attaching great importance to the relations with China.

The political chill has frozen the trade relations. Japan took up 12.1 percent in China's total trade last year, down by 1.6 percent. The situation may not be improved this year.

The depression of the political and economic relationship of the Asia's two biggest economies has aroused concerns over the possibility of damaging the economic interest of the two sides and Asia as a whole.

Although there are signs of recovery following strategic talks, the fifth round of consultations on the issue of the East China Sea and the Foreign Ministers' Doha meeting in May, experts see fragile foundation for restoration and pending issues unresolved.

The recent poll in Japan shows Japanese people prefer better relations with China and expect policy adjustment by the ruling party under the great pressure from home and abroad.

By People's Daily Online