Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda hold a joint press conference after their meeting in Tokyo, capital of Japan, May 7, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)　

　　TOKYO, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held talks here Wednesday to seek for new prospects for the two countries' strategic and mutually beneficial relations.

　　Hu is on a five-day state visit to Japan, the first to the country by China's head of state in a decade.

　　HU'S PROPOSALS FOR PROMOTING BILATERAL TIES

　　The two countries are facing new opportunities for furthering their ties, Hu said, adding both sides should make joint efforts and make a use of the opportunities to promote bilateral ties to anew high.

　　The Chinese president suggested the two countries consolidate the political foundation for their bilateral relations.

　　The two countries should abide by the principles set forth in the three political documents to guide bilateral ties and properly handle important and sensitive issues such as history and the Taiwan issue in line with the principle of taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future, Hu said.

　　He also urged the two sides to enhance strategic mutual-trust. The two countries should treat each other as a long-term cooperative partner, support the other's peaceful development, care the other's major concerns and properly address any disagreement through dialogue and consultation, he said.

　　Hu said the two sides should deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, make a full use of the complementarity between their economies, create new major fields and new vantage points for cooperation, greatly promote trade and economic cooperation, and consolidate the material foundation for China-Japan ties.

　　Hu also proposed that personnel and cultural exchanges be carried out at various levels, via multiple channels and in different fields to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, especially between younger generations of the two countries.

　　The Chinese president said the two sides should strengthen strategic coordination and cooperation, with the focus on Asia. He suggested both sides join hands in promoting the peace mechanism in East Asia and Asia's regional cooperation and contribute to the rise of Asia and embrace global challenges. 　　

　　PATH OF PEACE, FRIENDSHIP, COOPERATION

　　President Hu said, "Historical experience has demonstrated China and Japan must seek a path of peace, friendship and cooperation. This is the sole right choice which is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples."

　　China and Japan are close neighbors separated by a narrow strip of water, and the two peoples have enjoyed friendly exchanges for more than 2,000 years in the past, though there was a miserable period of time between the two countries, Hu said.

　　Peaceful coexistence, friendship for generations, mutual benefit and common development between the two nations are of vital importance to the peace, stability and prosperity of Asia and the world at large, he added.

　　Expressing his warm welcome to Hu's visit on the 30th anniversary of the endorsement of China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Prime Minister Fukuda said Japan is willing to work with China to push forward bilateral ties.

　　He said Japan-China friendly exchanges have lasted for more than 2,000 years, but problems also occurred in bilateral ties.

　　What is important is that the two sides, especially the leaders of the two countries, should proceed from the overall situation, reach consensus on the path for developing bilateral ties, stick to their beliefs and make practical efforts to push forward bilateral relations, said Fukuda.

　　EXCHANGE REGULAR VISITS

　　Hu and Fukuda also agreed to establish a mechanism for a regular exchange of visits between leaders of the two countries.

　　Both sides agreed to maintain high-level visits, establish a mechanism for a regular exchange of visits between leaders of the two countries, and continue to have meetings on multilateral occasions.

　　On ways to boost bilateral cooperation in economy and trade and technology, Hu proposed that the two countries should improve and strengthen high-level economic dialogue, enhance cooperation in technology-related trade and innovation, push forward the cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises of the two countries, share experience on intellectual property rights protection, and carry out cooperation on peaceful use of nuclear energy.

　　With regard to environmental protection, Hu suggested that the two sides reinforce exchanges and cooperation in dealing with water pollution and on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction technologies, and expand cooperation between recycling-style cities.

　　Hu also said China and Japan should seize the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship to vigorously push forward people-to-people exchanges, build up a long-term mechanism for exchanges between the youths of the two countries, and set up cultural centers in each other's countries at an early date.

　　On national defense, Hu proposed that the two countries strengthen high-level exchange of visits by defense departments of the two countries and expand multi-level exchanges and cooperation.

　　Fukuda agreed with Hu's proposals.

　　The two leaders also agreed to continue cooperation in facilitating the process of destroying chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China at the end of World War II, and on the issues of climate change, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and promoting regional cooperation in East Asia as well as support for Africa's development.

　　President Hu arrived here Tuesday for a state visit to Japan.

　　The visit, dubbed a "warm-spring" trip, is seen as a step to further improve the once-chilly China-Japan relationship, which started to warm with the "ice-breaking" visit to China by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in October 2006. Abe's visit was followed by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's "ice-thawing" Japan trip in April last year and Fukuda's "spring-heralding" visit to China last December.