President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda agreed create new momentum for strategic and mutually beneficial relations and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula during a meeting in Beijing on Monday, Xinhua reported.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2011. [Liu Weibing/Xinhua]

This was their second meeting since Noda was elected Japan's new prime minister in late August. Hu said he was glad to meet with Noda twice within such a short period of time.

Hu said Sino-Japan relations witnessed a positive momentum of development in the past year and have seen a good start since the new Japanese cabinet took office in September.

Firmly pursuing the route of peace, friendship and cooperation, and continuously reinforcing and advancing the mutually beneficial relationship of strategic significance are conducive to the mutual benefit and common development of both sides, as well as to the peace, stability, development and prosperity of Asia and the world, Hu said.

He said China is ready to work with Japan to hold high the banner of China-Japan friendship by earnestly planning and preparing for the activities marking the 40th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral relations next year.

Hu said China and Japan, in the spirit of using history as a mirror and facing the future, should improve political mutual trust and expand exchanges and cooperation according to the principles of the four political documents and important consensus reached between the two countries.

Noda said China's development is an opportunity not only for Japan, but for the international community as well.

Promoting Japan-China strategic and mutually beneficial relationship is necessary for solving regional and international issues, Noda said.

He said the relationship between the two countries has witnessed fast development since Japan and China normalized bilateral links. Trade volume and personnel exchanges between the two countries have grown sharply.

Noda expressed the wish that both sides seize the opportunity of the 40th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties to promote high-level exchanges and beef up cooperation on economy, trade, environment, finance and tourism.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula. 

Noda said during his talks with Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday,  "wide consensus on bilateral relations" was reached between the two sides.

Noda also met with top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo on Monday morning.

He is scheduled to wrap up his two-day official visit to China at noon Monday.