Japanese FM to visit China

BEIJING -- Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya has been invited to visit China on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Tuesday.

"China attaches importance to Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya's visit," Mao said, adding that Chinese leaders will meet with him.

Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister, will hold talks with Iwaya.

Mao said the two foreign ministers would also attend the second meeting of a high-level consultation mechanism on people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Japan.

During the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in mid-November in Lima, Peru, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held a meeting, agreeing that the two countries should maintain high-level exchanges, and give better play to high-level dialogue mechanisms in areas such as economy and people-to-people exchanges, Mao said.

Bearing in mind the common interests, China is willing to work with Japan to strengthen dialogue and communication, deepen practical cooperation and properly handle differences, in order to comprehensively advance the strategic relationship of mutual benefit, and endeavor to build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship that meets the requirements of the new era, she said.