Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, went to China on Monday for a six-day stay which party officials said would include a meeting with President Hu Jintao.
The DPJ president, acting President Naoto Kan and Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama are expected to meet with Hu, probably Tuesday afternoon, to discuss ways to improve strained relations between the two countries, DPJ officials said.
The meeting comes as Hu refuses to hold talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi because of his annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
The DPJ president met with Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, shortly after his arrival in Beijing. He was expected to meet with Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan later in the day.
Speaking to reporters at Narita International Airport before his flight, Ozawa criticized Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for his stance on China.
"Friendly and cooperative relations between Japan and China are very important to the world at large," he said. "The current situation, in which the leaders of the two countries cannot even talk to each other, isn't good for Japan."
He said he hopes the visit serves to build confidence with Chinese leaders and helps the two countries deepen their cooperation and friendship.
He will return home Saturday after meeting with Li Keqiang, secretary of the party's Liaoning Provincial Committee and a rising star in the party, in the provincial capital of Shenyang, the officials said.
