TOKYO — China and Japan launched a high-level consultation mechanism on people-to-people exchanges here on Monday, with both sides vowing to push for greater development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries in the new era.

President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent congratulatory letters respectively, which were read by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

Wang said the establishment of a high-level consultation mechanism on people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan is an important consensus reached by the two leaders, which represents their deep expectations.

Bilateral cultural and people-to-people exchanges are deeply rooted and accumulate a unique blend of cultures, forming a strong bond between the two peoples and an inexhaustible driving force for the development of bilateral relations, he said.

China is ready to strengthen overall planning with Japan to further expand personnel exchanges, enrich cultural exchanges, strengthen guidance and shaping of public opinion, promote exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, so as to build a strong cultural bond and a solid public support for the long-term development of bilateral ties, he added.

Motegi, for his part, said that with a long history of exchanges between the two countries for more than 2,000 years, the people-to-people and cultural exchanges have been playing an important role in enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples and are an indispensable basis for long-term development of bilateral relations.

He called on the two sides to give full play to the role of the high-level consultation mechanism on people-to-people exchanges, actively carry out such exchanges and cooperation in culture, sports and tourism to push for greater development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges in the new era.

The two sides reached consensus in the fields such as culture, tourism, education, sports, media, film and television, local, youth and women, including designating the year of 2020 as the "China-Japan Cultural and Sports Exchange Promotion Year"; resuming and expanding two-way study tours; expanding personnel exchanges in a balanced way to exceed 15 million at an early date; promoting cooperation in cultural industries; and supporting each other in making the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics a success.