Premier Li Keqiang met with Japan’s former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yohei Kono, who led a delegation of Japanese businesspeople, on April 10 in Beijing.

Kono is also the head of Japan’s Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT).

Premier Li said that as this year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations, China is willing to improve the China-Japan relationship, based on the principle of “taking history as a mirror and facing forward to the future.”

History and practice have proved that only by adhering to the four political documents that China and Japan agreed to and sticking to the general trend of peace, friendship and cooperation can the Sino-Japan relationship maintain a healthy and stable development, the Premier said.

He hoped Japan can walk along with China, see China’s development as an opportunity and take active policies on China, in order to accumulate positive factors for improving bilateral relations.

Premier Li said that Japanese social organizations, including the Association for the Promotion of International Trade, made positive efforts in promoting the normalization of bilateral diplomatic relations over 40 years ago.

Under the current situation, the Premier told Kono that he hoped the delegation could work to further improve China-Japan relations, promoting mutual cooperation in all fields and enhancing understanding and exchanges between people from both countries.

Kono said the association has been devoted to promoting the development of China-Japan relations through economic cooperation.

Japan’s economic circle has paid great attention to China’s development measures and goals, and they are also willing to make continuous efforts to improve bilateral relations and cooperation, he said.