Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi exchanged congratulatory messages on Wednesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Japanese treaty of peace and friendship.

In his telegram to Koizumi, Wen said that the 1978 treaty signed by the older generation of leaders of the two countries provides a solid political basis for the development of bilateral relations and embodies the common aspirations of the two peoples for friendship generation after generation.

"Guided by the treaty and keeping pace with the time, we have been promoting the friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries over the past 25 years," Wen said.

The Chinese premier said that the Sino-Japanese relations are now going through an important stage of development and that the two countries shoulder great responsibility in maintaining peace and promoting development.

The bilateral relations will enjoy smooth and stable growth as long as the two sides abide by the principles contained in the three Sino-Japanese joint documents -- the joint statement, the treaty of peace and friendship and the joint declaration -- in the spirit of "taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future," Wen said.

Koizumi, for his part, said that the friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries have witnessed continued development in various fields since the normalization of bilateral relations in 1972 and the signing of the treaty in 1978, which has functioned all along as the basis for the relations between the two countries.

Japan is ready to work together with China to expand cooperation in regional and world affairs and further develop the future-oriented Japan-China relations, said the Japanese prime minister.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Japanese Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko also exchanged congratulatory messages.

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