Chinese and Japanese legislators Tuesday held their fifth regular meeting in Beijing with a pledge to properly deal with "related issues" for the healthy and stable development of ties.
Hua Jianmin, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), and Takeaki Matsumoto, Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Administration of Japan's House of Representatives, co-chaired the one-day meeting.
China and Japan had entered a new stage of a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship since the new Japanese cabinet was formed in September, said a statement from the NPC Standing Committee, China's top legislature.
The two sides agreed to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries and enhance cooperation.
Hua urged the two countries to resume and develop trade cooperation as soon as possible while Matsumoto vowed to step up cooperation with China on energy conservation, environmental protection and climate change.
They also reiterated the importance of the regular parliamentary exchanges, and agreed to hold the sixth meeting in Japan next year.
The NPC and Japan's House of Representatives established their regular exchange mechanism in 2004 and held the first meeting in 2005.
The NPC also inaugurated a regular exchange mechanism with Japan's House of Councilors, the upper house, in 2007.
The parliamentary exchange coincided with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Japan, the first by a Chinese state leader since the new Japanese government took office in September.
Xi met with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama Monday in Tokyo. Xi will also meet Emperor Akihito, hold a series of meetings with lawmakers from Japan's ruling and opposition parties as well as Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada.
China and Japan have conducted increasing high-level exchanges, which analysts say demonstrate the common aspiration for closer ties.
Last week, Secretary General of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Ichiro Ozawa, visited China with a 600-strong delegation. The group was the first DPJ-led delegation to China since the DPJ came to power.
In November, Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie became the first Chinese defense minister to visit Japan since Cao Gangchuan in 2007.