Japanese former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda arrived on Friday afternoon to attend the 2009 meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) from April 17 to 19 in south China's Hainan Province.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will meet with Fukuda on the sideline of the Asian Forum. They are expected to confer on bilateral relations and other regional and international issues.

This is the second time Fukuda visited China after his resignation in September 2008. He headed a 1,000-member youth delegation to China for the "China-Japan Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth" last December.

Since taking office in September 2007, Fukuda had sought various ways to improve Japan's ties with China. He held high-profile talks with the Chinese leadership during his trip to China in December 2007, and hosted a visit by President Hu Jintao in last May. He also attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2009)