Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong on Friday urged to strengthen youth exchanges and media cooperation between China and Japan.

Zeng told Hiromu Nonaka, former secretary-general of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party, both countries should seriously carry out the important consensus reached between Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in advancing bilateral strategic mutual-beneficial ties during Wen's recent Japan trip.

Wen paid a three-day official visit to Japan in April, an "ice-melting" tour in Sino-Japanese relations following the "ice-breaking" trip by Abe to China last October.

Prime Minister Abe's successful China visit had broken the deadlock of Sino-Japanese relations, removing political obstacles in bilateral ties, Zeng said.

The agreement that the two sides reached during Wen's Japan trip, which elaborates the China-Japan strategic mutual-beneficial relations, has injected vitality into the healthy development of bilateral ties, he added.

Zeng also called on the two sides to cement political trust, expand win-win cooperation to promote long-term friendship and common development.

Applauding Zeng's evaluation of bilateral ties, Hiromu Nonaka said Japan-China relations began to warm up under the joint efforts of leaders of the two countries.

He called on the two sides to carry forward the friendly tradition and maintain the healthy development of bilateral ties.

As for people-to-people exchanges, Zeng urged the two sides to beef up exchanges between youth, ordinary people, sister cities as well as media, to promote mutual understanding.

Noting friendship between people of the two countries serves as a foundation for good-neighborly ties, Hiromu Nonaka, also an honorary advisor to the Japan-China Friendship Association, said he will continue to contribute to promoting Japan-China peace and friendship.

Earlier on Friday, Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also met with Hiromu Nonaka. Both agreed that the governments, parties and civic groups of the two countries should make more efforts to push forward bilateral ties.

Hiromu Nonaka is here to attend a gathering between Sino-Japanese friendship organizations held on Wednesday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Source: Xinhua