Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe began their meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations and other issues of common concern.

The two were expected to work out common grounds for their countries as China and Japan work hard to mend relations badly strained by former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's continued visits to the Yasukuni Shrine.

In an interview with 16 Japanese news organizations in Beijing before his visit, Wen said that the economic issue will be high up on his agenda.

During the visit, the two countries will draft a joint document spelling out their aspirations to build a strategic, mutually beneficial relationship, and the major tasks involved in this effort, he said.

According to Wen, he will invite Abe to revisit China this year.

Abe said earlier that he will seek Wen's help to resolve the kidnapping issue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and win China's support for Japan's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.

He voiced the hope that his meeting with Wen will strengthen the two countries' strategic, mutually beneficial relations.

He believed the two Asian neighbors can cooperate in many fields, in particular in energy and environmental protection.

Though bilateral exchanges have grown in the past 35 years, China-Japan relations still face stumbling blocks, including the two countries' differences over historical issues and a dispute over natural gas fields in the East China Sea.

Source: Xinhua