China and Japan are facing "important opportunities" for developing bilateral relations, Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo said in Beijing on Monday, calling for both countries to increase political trust and promote healthy bilateral ties.

Wu made the remarks during his meeting with Nikai Toshihiro, chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

This year marks the 35th anniversary of normalization of China-Japan relations. Wu said the two countries should take this opportunity to further enhance political trust and seriously implement the consensus reached by the two heads of states, in a spirit of the three China-Japan political documents.

He also called for the two sides to expand cooperation in the fields of energy, environmental protection and technology, and increase personnel exchanges, especially the exchanges between the youth.

Nikai said he will exert his personal influence to promote Japan-China friendship, and do more to cement bilateral non-governmental exchanges.

Earlier in the morning, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan also met with Nikai. Tang said the two countries should increase strategic mutual trust, which is an important precondition for building a strategic reciprocal relationship.

Nikai brought a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, but no details on its content are revealed.

An important mission of Nikai's current China trip is to discuss with the Chinese side plans on people-to-people exchanges to mark the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties.

Source: Xinhua