Xi and delegates signal 'thaw'

President says ties with Japan in hands of the two peoples

At a huge hall full of music, applause and an unusually large Japanese delegation, President Xi Jinping has struck a friendly tone on China-Japan ties, while also warning against any attempt to distort Japan's wartime history.

The visit of the 3,000-member delegation and Xi's appearance at their gathering on Saturday in Beijing marked the latest sign of thawing relations between China and Japan, said observers.