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BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Thursday met with Japanese tea master Genshitsu Sen.

Sen, the 15th Grand Master of Japan's Urasenke Chado, has made more than a hundred visits to China since his first trip to Beijing in the late 1970s.

Yang said that China and Japan are important neighbors, and maintaining a sound and steady improvement of bilateral relations is good for the fundamental interests of both peoples. He said the two countries should keep the key direction of peace, friendship and cooperation, and steadily carry out exchanges and cooperation.

He said he hoped the Urasenke Chado would make continuous efforts to boost bilateral friendship through tea-related cultural exchanges and push China-Japan ties back on the right track.

Sen said the Urasenke Chado would like to increase exchanges with China and contribute to the bilateral relationship as well as peace in East Asia.

Urasenke Chado is a renowned school of the Japanese tea ceremony.