Chinese premier's 'ice-melting' Japan visit

Flowers bloom in spring after the melting of snow and ice. And so, maybe, will relations between Tokyo and Beijing after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's "ice-melting" journey to Japan.

Amid a thaw in relations between the two Asian neighbors, the Chinese premier is in Japan on a three-day visit ending on Friday. Before becoming the first top-level Chinese leader to step on Japanese soil in nearly seven years, Wen expressed hope for a successful visit by making it an "ice-melting" trip, following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "ice-breaking" visit to Beijing last October that helped repair several years of strained ties.

Abe hosted a welcoming ceremony for Wen in the garden of his official residence in Tokyo despite a drizzle. The prime minister described Wen's arrival as "a bright ray of sunshine through the clouds". He also praised Wen's visit as "a big step forward" toward fostering "strategic, mutually beneficial relations". Wen replied that his trip "will lead to significant achievements that reflects both sides' desires".

The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation and build "strategic, mutually beneficial relations" in economic, energy, environment and other areas. After their talks, they issued a joint press statement pledging to boost cooperation, promote high-level economic, political and defense dialogue and to continue to seek denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.