President Hu Jintao said on Sunday he hoped that China and Japan would continue to cooperate in seeking the truth of the dumpling poisoning case.

Hu made the remarks during an interview with journalists from 16 Japanese media institutions stationed in Beijing, ahead of his coming state visit to Japan from May 6 to 10.

He said China attaches great importance to food safety and has devoted much attention to the case. He added that China has instructed relevant departments to make an earnest and thorough investigation.

Noting that China has had close contact with Japan on the progress of the investigation, he said China is prepared to have consultations and cooperation with Japan to establish a long-term mechanism for food safety.

The dumpling case, which resulted in 10 people falling ill in Japan, came to light in late January. Investigators from both countries have worked together to find the cause.

Investigators inspected the manufacturer, Tianyang Food Plant in Hebei Province, but found nothing irregular. They also found no problems related to the purchase of raw materials or the production process.

China also sent two groups of experts to Japan for joint investigations.

After a thorough investigation, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in late February that the dumpling poisoning incident was an individual, deliberate case, not a case of food safety resulting from pesticide residue.

The case is still under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency May 5, 2008)