BEIJING - China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng said Tuesday that Japan should properly address the Diaoyu Islands issue and push bilateral relations back onto the normal track.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks while meeting with a delegation of the Asia Exchange Association of Japan headed by its chairman, Etsuhiko Shoyama.

Yu said China and Japan are important neighbors, and maintaining the healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations is in the basic interests of the two countries and their people.

Yu said China is ready to further advance the mutually beneficial China-Japan relationship in strategic terms and deepen practical exchanges and cooperation in various fields on the basis of the four bilateral political documents and in the spirit of drawing lessons from history and facing toward the future.

He said China-Japan relations are facing a grim situation. He expressed the hope that the Japanese side would adopt a square view of history, properly address the issue of the Diaoyu Islands and push bilateral relations back onto the normal track.

Etsuhiko said the Asia Exchange Association of Japan is ready to actively promote exchanges and cooperation between the economic circles of the two countries, especially in the area of energy.

He said the two sides should maintain a long-term relationship of mutual trust and jointly work to maintain friendly cooperation.