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



Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's visit to China over the weekend focused on several key issues. Among them, how to advance China-Japanese ties and restart the six party talks at an early date took center stage during his meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Enjoying close geographical proximity, China and Japan share many common goals and interests. It is in both sides' interest to safeguard peace and stability in East Asia. It also benefits both sides to work toward the building of a free trade agreement that also includes South Korea. But being close to one another can also lead to problems. China and Japan lay competing claims to part of the East China Sea. Both sides also spar over historical facts in the Second World War. It requires wisdom to keep their relations on a healthy track.

So how do we evaluate Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's visit to China in advancing bilateral ties? And what can we expect from Sino-Japanese future cooperation?

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, bringing you insights into the headline news in China and around the world, I'm Zheng Chenguang in Beijing. In this edition of the program, we are taking a look at Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's visit to China.

We talk to Professor Yang Bojiang with the University of International Relations in Beijing and David Arase, Professor of Politics at Pomana College in Claremont and now visiting professor of Political Science in the Johns Hopkins Center for Chinese and American Studies at Nanjing University.