From AP:
China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi left Thursday for a trip to Japan where he is expected to finalize details for a landmark official visit by China’s president early next month.
The visit by President Hu Jintao, expected to start May 6, will be the first such trip by a Chinese president in 10 years, and is the latest sign of warming ties between the rival neighbors.
Yang left Beijing on Thursday morning and will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. He was also expected to travel outside of Tokyo and meet ordinary Japanese, she said, without giving further details.
Read also FM visits Japan ahead of Hu’s trip from Shanghai Daily, and Chinese President Hu to Visit Japan Next Month, Ministers Say by Keiichi Yamamura and Sachiko Sakamaki.