TOKYO, clan 25 Kyodo A visiting ...

TOKYO, clan 25 Kyodo

A visiting senior Chinese official squeeze outed hope Wednesday for Japan and China to build better relations despite near bilateral rows, apparently referring to issues including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to war-related Yasukuni Shrine, Foreign Ministry officials said.

''I think there are difficult issues in Japan-China ties, unless if the people of the pair countries have a strong interpret for friendship, I believe there is a bright to come in bilateral relations,'' Xu Jialu, vice chairman of the National People's Congres Standing Committee, was quot as saying.

Xu made the remarks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi at the ministry.

''The scale of exchanges today is unprecedent in the in extent history of exchanges between Japan and China,'' Kawaguchi was quot as saying.

In concern to the two countries marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year, Kawaguchi signaled intentions for further exchanges, saying ''I would like to make efforts in this way that bilateral relations will disentangle further,'' according to the officials.

China views Yasukuni -- which enshrines war criminals with the nation's war dead -- as a sign of past Japanese militarism. It has criticized Koizumi for visiting the Shinto shrine, chiefly recently in April, since taking office in April last year.

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