Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Japan's New Komeito party, the smaller of Japan's two ruling parties, Thursday in Beijing.

Yamaguchi, who arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, is the first senior member of the Japanese ruling bloc to travel to China since the Japanese government announced in September that it would "purchase" part of the Diaoyu Islands, a move that soured bilateral relations.

"We hope your visit will contribute to maintaining and pushing forward ties," Yang told Yamaguchi.

Yang said the New Komeito party, which maintains a friendly policy towards China, is an important force in Japan and can play a role in improving China-Japan relations.

Sensitive issues must be properly handled in order to maintain healthy and stable bilateral relations, Yang said.

China and Japan, he said, should make efforts to manage and control problems through talks and consultations.

"China hopes the new Japanese government will maintain a positive and stable policy towards China and take concrete steps to promote the improvement of ties while working for shared goals, " Yang said.

China values Sino-Japanese ties and maintains that the two countries should develop ties in line with the principles and spirit established in the "four political documents."

The documents -- the China-Japan Joint Statement on Comprehensively Advancing Strategic and Reciprocal Relations, the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship and the Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration -- were signed by the two sides in 1972, 1978, 1998 and 2008, respectively.

"Developing long-term and stable ties is in the fundamental interests of the two nations and peoples," Yang said.

Yamaguchi said the New Komeito party advocates friendship between the two nations and attaches importance to promoting its relations with China.

He said the New Komeito party believes that China and Japan should overcome disparities through talks, adding that the party is ready to play a positive role in the improvement of bilateral ties within the framework of the new Japanese administration.