Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's Japan visit will pave the way for Premier Wen Jiabao's official visit in April, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday.

"Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's visit is aimed at promoting the improvement and progress of China-Japan relations and paving the way for Premier Wen Jiabao's Japan visit," spokeswoman Jiang Yu told regular news conference on Tuesday.

Li will visit Japan from Feb. 15, which will be the first of it kind since 2004.

China-Japan relations have improved since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to China in October last year. Abe's landmark visit was widely seen as a "turning point" in China-Japan relations.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations and will be a year of sports and cultural exchanges for the two countries.

During Li's stay in Japan, he will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and hold talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, the spokeswoman said.

Source: Xinhua