Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will visit China from April 1 to 2 at the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

Briefing reporters about the visit in Beijing, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the ministry, said China and Japan are close neighbors, and maintaining a sound and stable development of relations serves the shared interest of both countries and the region at large.

China attaches importance to the Japanese foreign minister's visit, said Mao, adding that Chinese leaders will meet him, and the Chinese foreign minister will hold talks with him to exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

She said, China is ready to work with the Japanese side, and take the important consensus reached between the two leaders as strategic guidance and the 45th anniversary of the conclusion of the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship this year as an opportunity to strengthen dialogue and communication, deepen practical cooperation, manage conflicts and differences, and advance the building of a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship that meets the requirements of a new era.

(Cover: File of Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. /CFP)