The only correct path is to adhere to the way of peace, friendship, cooperation, mutual benefit and "win-win" principles.

The four documents Tang referred to include the China-Japan Joint Statement inked in 1972; the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1978; the China-Japan Joint Declaration of 1998; and a joint statement on advancing strategic and mutually beneficial relations signed in 2008, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Cai Mingzhao, chief of China's State Council Information Office, said the status quo of Sino-Japanese relations 41 years after the normalization of diplomatic relations had failed to meet expectations.

"Only when we face the past frankly and sincerely can we better face the future," Cai said.

He said a large Japanese business delegation will visit China in November. It follows a visit to Japan by a group of Chinese entrepreneurs last month.

Cai said he also expected media in both countries to better promote understanding between China and Japan, as well as help improve the long-term development of bilateral relations.

Masato Kitera, Japan's ambassador to China, said he was concerned about the deteriorating feelings among nationals of the two countries. For them to become true friends, it is vital to have direct dialogue and exchange at various levels, he said.

The ambassador said that, for a brighter future in Asia and the world, the opportunities for Japan and China to work together are as numerous as the stars.

"What we should do is not to emphasize the disparities too much but to move forward from the consensus that the leaders have reached, to strive together for better prospects in Asia and the world," he told the forum.

The ambassador said that, in the four decades since China and Japan normalized diplomatic relations, a quarter of students of Japanese as a foreign language are Chinese, while there are 353 pairs of "sister cities" between the neighbors.

"Japan-China relations, built upon the unremitting efforts of our forerunners, are so profound and deep that I firmly believe they will not be easily destroyed. I will contribute my effort toward making it deeper and more extensive," he said.

Noting that 2013 marks the 35th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty, former United Nations undersecretary-general Akashi Yasushi said the treaty is an antiwar pledge made by the two countries, under which they agree to resolve all their disputes by peaceful means.

China and Japan should set up a crisis management system, he said, adding that the Beijing-Tokyo Forum is an important opportunity to bring derailed relations "back on a normal track".

Zhao Qizheng, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, said the forum gives testimony that people of insight have not given up efforts to improve relations.

The annual gathering enables participants to express themselves and strengthen understanding, said Zhao, who is also president of the Journalism School of Renmin University of China in Beijing.

Miyamoto Yuji, former ambassador to China, said the focus of global economic development has shifted to East Asia, and China and Japan are the focal points. Should relations sour and the economies consequentially stagnate, the whole region's economic growth will also fail.

"Relations between China and Japan are not only important to themselves but also important to the regional as well as the global economy," he said.

It is unwise to allow relations to be grounded because of "small things", he added.

JFE Steel Corp president Sudo Fumio said now is a good time to return to the "very beginning" of ties' normalization.

Xu Dunxin, former ambassador to Japan, said he believed the point of the "very beginning" lies in the principles and spirit enshrined in the important political statements and the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

Xu, a former vice-foreign minister, said the current problems between China and Japan could only be solved when the Japanese face up to history and admit there exist disputes over the Diaoyu Islands.

Lyu Zushan, vice-chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress, said the world's second- and third-largest economies have been instrumental in driving East Asia's economic stability and prosperity.

zhaohuanxin@chinadaily.com.cn