(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-18 19:58

BEIJING - Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping met here on Friday with former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and Ikuo Hirayama, president of Japan-China association for friendship.

Xi said China and Japan were important neighbors and nations in Asia-Pacific region. Improvement of the long-term and good-neighborly relations would conform to the fundamental interest of the two nations and the two peoples and be conducive to world peace and stability.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Japanese peace and friendship treaty, and is the year of exchanges between the youth of the two countries.

Xi called on the two sides to take the chance to strengthen cooperation in all fields and promote bilateral relations in a long-term, stable and healthy way.

Tomiichi Murayama said the Japanese people supported the Beijing Olympic Games and hoped it would be held successfully.

Murayama, who was invited here to attend the opening ceremony of the Ikuo Hirayama Exhibition by the China-Japan Friendship Association.