Premier Li Keqiang met with Chinese and Japanese businessmen and former official delegates in Beijing on Nov 1.

Premier Li said China and Japan have increased exchanges in various fields for only a short time, signaling an improvement in ties that have a fragile foundation, and added that there is still a lot work to do to bring the ties back on track.

Premier Li meets with Chinese and Japanese businessmen and former official delegates in Beijing on Nov 1.[Photo/Xinhua]

The two sides need to maintain a grip on the right direction of bilateral relations and promote continued improvement and development of ties in the spirit of taking the history as a mirror, looking into the future and the four political documents between China and Japan.

He applauded the efforts made by Chinese and Japanese business circles and former government officials in promoting exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, hoping the China-Japan dialogue mechanism will continue to play a positive role in reducing uncertainties affecting China-Japan ties and helping to win public support for improvement of ties.

Premier Li meets with Chinese and Japanese businessmen and former official delegates in Beijing on Nov 1. [Photo/Xinhua]

Premier Li has pointed out the direction for the improvement and development of Japan-China ties, Japanese delegates said, adding that the two sides need to work together to increase mutual understanding and cooperation and to further improve ties between the two counties.

Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges Zeng Peiyan and former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo were at the meeting.

Premier Li poses for a group photo with Chinese and Japanese businessmen and former official delegates in Beijing on Nov 1. [Photo/Xinhua]