Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming landmark visit to Japan has drawn worldwide attention. Experts say it will further advance bilateral relations and contribute to the peace and prosperity in the region and the whole world. Our reporter Lin Lin has more:

Reporter:

The once-chilly Sino-Japanese relationship started to warm with an ice-breaking visit by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in October 2006. This was followed by an "ice-thawing" Japan trip by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in April last year and Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo's "spring-herald" visit to China last December.

This time, President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan falls on the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, one of the three key political documents for developing friendly and cooperative ties between the two nations.

Liu Jiangyong, an expert on International Relations from Beijing's Tsinghua University, says Hu Jintao's visit to Japan will positively influence the relationship, especially on specific issues of mutual concern.

"Hu's visit will promote high-level visits and enrich understanding between leaders from the two countries. China and Japan will also expand cooperation in many new fields, such as working out specific plans to curb global climate change."

Gao Hong, another expert on Japanese studies from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says governmental support is necessary to advance public diplomacy.

"Public diplomacy is a grand topic. Although we usually mean non-governmental communication when we talk about public diplomacy, governmental support still plays an important role in guiding people to establish friendly ties in a healthy way."

As to problems still existing between the two countries, President Hu believes that differing views are normal and inevitable. What matters is that the two sides try to seek common ground while shelving differences, so as to jointly safeguard the general situation.

Ma Junwei, an expert from the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations says that healthy development of Sino-Japanese relationship would cast a huge influence on the Asia-Pacific region and even on the world.

"China and Japan are both big powers in Asia, and even in the world, so the Sino-Japanese relationship means much to regional and international stability. With this regard, President Hu's state visit to Japan will not only promote bilateral ties between the two countries, but will also contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world."

The expert believes with twists and turns in the past, China and Japan have come to realize that the two countries are stakeholders who share vast common interests and are closely interdependent.

Lin Lin, CRI News