1st LD Writethru: Chinese premier urges efforts to bring China-Japan ties back to normal

TOKYO, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called on China and Japan to stick to the principles of the four bilateral political documents and consensus, and bring bilateral ties back to normal.

Li made the remarks during his talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.

China and Japan are each other's important neighbor and major economies of the world, said Li, noting that long-term, healthy and stable development of bilateral ties conforms to the interests of the two countries and is good for peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world.

He said China-Japan ties are at a crucial stage for improvement, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the bilateral treaty of peace and friendship.

He called on the two sides to seize the opportunity to review the spirit of the treaty, cement the political foundation, expand friendly cooperation and implement the political consensus that China and Japan are cooperation partners, not threat to each other.

Li urged joint efforts from both sides to promote bilateral relations back to the right track, and achieve long-term, healthy and stable development.

Invited by Abe, Li arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday for an official visit to Japan, the first by a Chinese premier in eight years. Enditem