Fresh from a four-day trip to China that ended Thursday, Satsuki Eda, former president of the House of Councilors, said the Democratic Party of Japan needs to work harder to create stronger lines of communication with China to avoid future diplomatic spats with the neighboring giant.

The visit by Eda, who headed a delegation of 808 Japanese, including 500 high school students, came after a diplomatic row over a collision between a Chinese fishing boat and two Japan Coast Guard vessels last month.

Ties may become strained again, but the key is to learn how to deal with such conflicts, Eda said in an interview with The Japan Times on Friday.