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Japan PM to visit China as early as autumn

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-04-11 08:35

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will make his second visit to China since taking office as early as this autumn, Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday, citing Japanese government sources.

Abe, who became prime minister last September, will officially convey the plan to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who arrives in Japan on Wednesday, Kyodo quoted the sources as saying.

Wen's visit will be the first by a Chinese premier since late 2000, and he has a packed itinerary including talks with Abe and Japanese business leaders, reflecting the warming of ties between the two countries.

Abe has moved quickly to repair ties with China strained by the annual pilgrimages of his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, to a Tokyo shrine seen by many other Asian nations as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

The Japanese prime minister's plan is to hold summit talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao on his second visit to China and put a "strategic and mutually beneficial relationship" on track, Kyodo said.