China and Japan

The Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea are China's "inherent territory," said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto in Beijing on July 4.

The two sides should work together to implement their principled consensus on the East China Sea through practical activities, he said.

A day earlier, about 10 Japanese fishing boats left a port in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, to operate in waters near the Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan. The fishing boats left the waters after China's protests.

"Any measure adopted by Japan in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands is illegal and invalid," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

Matsumoto paid his first visit to China since taking office in March from July 3 to 4 at Yang's invitation. During the visit, he also met Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and State Councilor Dai Bingguo.

"The development of Sino-Japanese relations conforms to the basic interests of the two peoples," Xi said.

As major trade and economic partners, China and Japan have become increasingly dependent on each other, he said.

Japan is China's third largest trade partner after the EU and the United States. Official Chinese statistics show bilateral trade reached $297.8 billion in 2010, up 30.2 percent over the previous year. China's imports from Japan and exports to Japan totaled $176.7 billion and $121.1 billion respectively.

While sharing broad common interests on international and regional issues, China and Japan bear important responsibilities in safeguarding and promoting peace and development in Asia and the world at large, Xi said.

Talking about Japan's rebuilding efforts following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Xi said, "I believe the Japanese people, through their unremitting efforts, can overcome difficulties, rebuild their homes and achieve new economic and social progress."

Matsumoto said Japan hoped to enhance cooperation with China in various fields, including post-disaster reconstruction, to push forward the two countries' mutually beneficial strategic relations.