Japanese PM starts official visit to China

Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, has arrived in Beijing, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, to begin his two-day official visit to China.

Premier Wen held a welcoming ceremony at the airport Sunday afternoon before their first formal meeting. Noda is scheduled to meet with President Hu Jintao, and top legislator Wu Bangguo.

This is the first time Noda has visited China since he took office in August, and is the first Japanese prime minister to visit China since the Democratic Party of Japan came to power in 2009. With China and Japan's economic relations are growing rapidly, their interests have become increasingly interwoven.

Noda's visit and the upcoming 40th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations offer opportunities for further joint development.