Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged on Wednesday to vigorously promote Sino-Japanese ties and strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields.

"The relations between Japan and China are bilateral relations of great importance， and the maintenance and further development of the friendly relations are critical for peace and development of the region and even the whole world，" Abe said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

During his recent visit to China， he said， he had expressed the willingness to improve the bilateral relationship to a strategically and mutually beneficial one -- a future-oriented and mutually beneficial strategic relationship.