The Belt and Road Initiative can be the "experimental field" for mutually beneficial cooperation and development between China and Japan, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Tuesday at a regular press conference.
Hua said China has been working with countries along the Belt and Road in building a just, reasonable and transparent international trade and investment rules-based system. Based on such principles, China has been cooperating with many countries and implementing comprehensive projects in multiple fields.
Hua also noted that the Belt and Road Initiative is an open and inclusive development platform, which is beneficial to the world, including Japan.
"We welcome Japan to negotiate with China to cooperate with us over the Belt and Road Initiative. We also hope that Japan can truly implement the will of improving bilateral relations," Hua said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a forum in Tokyo on Monday that Japan is willing to cooperate with China on the Belt and Road Initiative on certain conditions.
Abe praised the initiative's "potential to connect the East and West as well as the diverse regions found in between." It's the second time Abe has declared his position on the cross-continental infrastructure scheme.
During last month's Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Abe said Japan would join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank if environmental concerns and other problems were resolved.
He also said during talks with Chinese State Council Yang Jiechi that he would like to hold talks with President Xi Jinping at the G20 Leaders' Summit in Germany in July.
