Li meets with Tokyo's envoy, urges Japan to nurture ties

Premier Li Keqiang urged Japan to stick to peaceful development and maintain positive policies toward China as a means of improving relations during his meeting with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida over the weekend. Healthy and stable ties between China and Japan are in the interest of both countries and people, and they contribute to regional and global stability and prosperity, Li told Kishida on Saturday.

Despite some setbacks in the past few years, Sino-Japanese relations are improving, though they are still fragile, the premier said. China is willing to increase the political trust with the neighbor and promote their bilateral relations back to a normal track of development, he said.

"China hopes Japan will maintain peaceful development and make real steps toward fulfilling its agreement to take up opportunities created by China's peaceful development," Li said.