Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged China and Japan to strengthen exchange and cooperation Monday to boost mutual understanding and trust.

Wen made the remarks while meeting with members of the fifth 21st Century Committee for China-Japan Friendship.

The committee, an advisory panel to both nations' governments, convened a meeting in Beijing on Sunday to discuss various aspects of China-Japan relations and to provide suggestions to the two governments.

"The foundation, as well as the hopes for and future of China-Japan friendship, lies in the peoples of the two countries," Wen said.

Stressing that both sides need to take history as a mirror and face the future, Wen said China and Japan should handle relevant issues with the broad situation of Asia and the world in mind, enhance exchange and cooperation and increase mutual understanding and trust, so that the peoples of the two nations can become closer to each other and further develop bilateral ties.

Hailing the committee as the bridge linking the two countries and the two peoples, Wen said he believed the committee would produce fruitful outcomes with the concerted efforts of the two parties.

China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also met with the committee members.

The committee met the press during their first meeting earlier Monday. During the meeting, Chinese chair of the panel Tang Jiaxuan dismissed the notion China's development meant acting "tough" towards others.

"The anxiety over China's being tough is groundless and unnecessary. What's crucial is the actual policies and moves China has taken," Tang said when asked if China will take "tougher" policies vis-a-vis Japan as the two countries' gap in national strength narrows.

Tang said China's achievements over the last six decades have been notable and that the country's gap with Japan has narrowed.

Still, he noted, China's per capita GDP is only $3,700, meaning it is not in the top 100 ranking of countries by the measure while Japan's per capita GDP is well over $40,000.

China still has 150 million people living in poverty, according to the UN's standard of poverty of living on less than $1 a day, Tang noted.

"That means China will remain a developing country for a long time into the future and needs to focus on its own development."

"By tradition, China advocates harmonious relations with neighboring countries. China will stick to a peaceful development path and befriend the peoples of neighboring countries with diplomatic relations and build harmony in Asia and the world at large," Tang said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2010)