Relations between China and Japan are "gradually recovering but remain very fragile", senior official Liu Yunshan told a visiting delegation of Japanese lawmakers on Friday.

China's development is an opportunity, not a threat, said Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Japan should uphold peaceful development and send positive signals to boost bilateral ties, Liu said.

Liu made the remarks while meeting with a delegation led by Taku Yamasaki, former vice-president of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party.

Three Japanese political delegations are visiting China, with the other two led by Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Toshihiro Nikai, chairman of the General Council of Japan's ruling LDP.

Beijing's policies toward ties with Japan are consistent, Liu said, describing them as "taking history as a mirror and facing forward to the future".

Yamasaki, stating that he will turn 80 this year, said the 10 members of his delegation are all young members of the House of Representatives with promising political futures, as all of them have been elected as lawmakers at least twice.

Yamasaki said ties between Japan and China are important for both Japan and the world. He proposed establishing a new type of bilateral economic and trade ties at a time when the two countries have experienced some problems in political and economic areas.

Kishida, who is visiting China from Friday to Sunday, will meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Saturday.

They will exchange views on the relationship between their countries as well as on global and regional affairs concerning both countries, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. It is the first time that Japan's foreign minister has visited China since November 2014.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing on Wednesday the current Sino-Japanese relationship is gaining momentum for improvement, but many challenges remain.

Liu Jiangyong, deputy dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University, said that whether the Japanese foreign minister's visit to Beijing is fruitful or not depends on the joint efforts made by both countries.

China should pay close attention to the maritime activities of Japan in the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea region, he said

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn