China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi is going to pay a two-day visit to Japan starting Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters on Thursday.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and also the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee will hold a new round of high-level dialogue with Shigeru Kitamura, the chief of Japan's National Security Secretariat during the visit, according to Zhao.

Zhao hailed the firm support from the Japanese government and all sectors of its society to China's containment of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, stressing that the bilateral cooperation and positive communication on COVID-19 demonstrate the friendship between the two sides.

China attaches great importance to bilateral relations, said Zhao, and the two parties will exchange in-depth views on virus containment and other issues of common concern, he added.

Yang's visit is expected to advance the important consensus reached by leaders of the two sides, help enhance high-level strategic communication and push forward the bilateral relations, said Zhao.

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