The 7th Beijing-Tokyo Forum, focusing on the "Future of Asia and China-Japan Cooperation in Economic Reshaping", provides both sides with an opportunity to compare notes on bilateral ties.
The results of a survey show that the overwhelming majority of people in China and Japan have never visited the other country, and they rely on news reports to learn about each other.
State Councilor Dai Bingguo described the Seventh Beijing-Tokyo Forum, which concluded on Monday, as a big success.
Wang Chen, director of China's State Council Information Office, on Sunday called for more efforts to improve the sentiments between the Chinese and Japanese people.
Dangers from the nuclear leaks at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power plant still exist.
Japan's defense white paper for 2011 spares no pains in playing up the "China threat" theory. In fact, Japan is using the so-called theory as an excuse for its ambitious military buildup and to revise its pacifist constitution, something that will harm regional stability and security.
Western media reports have attempted to give the vessel undue significance and sought to use "China's first aircraft carrier" to whip up public concern about China's growing military might and reinforce the perception of a "China threat".
The disagreement between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands this week, reveals, yet again, that some in the island country are continually looking for opportunities to stir up trouble over the issue. By sending boats to fish in China's maritime territory, they attempt to demonstrate Japan's unfounded sovereignty claim and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
The United States and Japan have upgraded their alliance based on a new set of "common strategic objectives".
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Japan would be another step forward in Sino-Japanese relations, Chinese ambassador to Japan Chen Yonghua said in a recent interview with Xinhua.