China envoy hears Hatoyama fraternal pitch

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi agreed Friday to develop bilateral diplomatic ties in a "spirit of fraternity," in line with the Hatoyama's political philosophy.

Expressing hope that the top leaders of the two nations continue their mutual visits, Hatoyama said he wants to go to China next year for the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, which opens in May.

But "first, I would like Premier Wen Jiabao to visit Japan," Hatoyama told Yang at their meeting in Tokyo.

Yang conveyed greetings from Chinese President Hu Jintao and Wen, and said his Thursday meeting with his Tokyo counterpart, Katsuya Okada, was "productive," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"I want to build win-win relationships based on a spirit of fraternity and expand them from between Japan and China to the Asian region and the world," Hatoyama was quoted as saying by the ministry. "Doing so, I believe, will lead to the building of an East Asian community."

Hatoyama, who has indicated he wants to pursue a diplomatic course more independent of the United States than his predecessors, has advocated creating the regional bloc as a way for Tokyo to increase its engagement with the rest of Asia.

Yang said he agreed with "pushing diplomacy based on a spirit of fraternity," according to the ministry.

"I think it is important for both Japan and China to move proposals forward if they are good, while remaining unconcerned about which side has proposed first," he said.

The Chinese foreign minister said Beijing intends to promote regional cooperation, including research into a possible free-trade agreement involving Japan, China and South Korea.

In a meeting with Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa the same day, Yang said Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is seen as a leading candidate to succeed Hu, plans to visit Japan in mid-December to meet with Hatoyama, a DPJ official said.

Besides asking for Ozawa's support to make Xi's visit a success, Yang said China is making "maximum efforts" to forge closer ties with Japan and called on the DPJ to collaborate on the forging of the FTA and a climate change pact.