Xi, Abe applaud bilateral exchanges

President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent congratulatory letters as the two countries held a major event in Tokyo on Monday to boost people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

The first meeting of the China-Japan high-level consultation mechanism on people-to-people and cultural exchanges is the latest practical action taken by Beijing and Tokyo based on Xi and Abe's consensus reached during their meeting in Osaka in June.

Noting that Sino-Japanese relations are continuously improving, Xi's letter called on both sides to make good use of the mechanism to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges and foster better mutual understanding so as to provide cultural and popular support for the building and development of China-Japan relations that fit the needs of the new era.