Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan told visiting leaders of Japan's three-party ruling coalition Sunday that he hopes bilateral economic relations can be improved through Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's Oct. 12-17 visit to Japan, coalition officials said.
The secretaries general of Japan's three ruling parties -- Hiromu Nonaka of the Liberal Democratic Party, Tetsuzo Fuyushiba of New Komeito and Takeshi Noda of the New Conservative Party -- held a breakfast meeting with Tang at a Beijing hotel Sunday morning.
"(Zhu's) delegation will be a big one, with an entourage of key economic ministers," Tang was quoted as telling the Japanese political leaders.
During the talks, Nonaka handed Tang a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to Chinese President Jiang Zemin, the official said.
The official said Tang told the Japanese delegation the main theme at the plenary session of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, which starts Monday, is likely to be economic issues.
Tang reportedly said Zhu will report on the 2001-2005 five-year economic development plan, as well as large-scale developments in western regions of the country aimed at bridging the economic gap between the coastal and interior regions.
The secretaries-general of the coalition parties met with Prime Minister Zhu later in the day, but details were not made known immediately.