Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met with Toshihiro Nikai, the secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, expressing hope that joint efforts will be made to ensure bilateral ties develop in the right direction.

Representing the Japanese government, Nikai attended the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that concluded Monday in Beijing, Xinhua news agency reported.

Noting that 2017 and 2018 respectively mark the 45th anniversary of the normalisation of China-Japan diplomatic relations and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan, Xi said bilateral ties are faced with both new opportunities and outstanding challenges.

To improve bilateral relationship, the two sides should abide by the four political documents and the four-point agreement between the two countries, and uphold the spirit of taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future, Xi said.

The President said he hoped friendly people in both nations, including Nikai, will continue to pool positive energy for the improvement of bilateral ties.

He stressed that since the normalisation of China-Japan diplomatic ties, bilateral relationship has seen great improvement thanks to the joint efforts by people with vision in both countries, which has brought tangible benefits to the two nations and the two peoples and played an important role in regional peace and stability.

History has proved that peace, friendship and cooperation are the only right choice for the two countries and meet the expectations of people in the two countries and the international community, Xi added.