Leaders of China, Japan say it is important to develop ties

I hope to work with you to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations" to reach that goal, he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday it was important to take bilateral relations in a positive direction as they marked 50 years since normalising diplomatic ties amid rising tensions in the region.

In a phone call, Xi told Kishida that he attached "great importance" to the development of China-Japan relations and that he was willing to work with his Japanese counterpart to build the relationship, Chinese state television CCTV reported. In a message read out at a reception in Tokyo to mark the milestone, Kishida told Xi that bilateral relations were facing "many issues and challenges" now, and that he hoped to pave the way for a "new future".

"Japan and China share a great responsibility to achieve peace and prosperity in the region and world," Kishida said in the message to Xi. "In view of the next 50 years ... I hope to work with you to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations" to reach that goal, he said.

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