China and Japan are in the process of arranging a visit by the fifth-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party in late March, according to diplomatic sources.

The visit to Japan by Li Changchun, a member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee, will be part of a series of high-level exchanges the two are trying to organize for the near future.

Among possible visits to China being considered are those by Prime Minister Taro Aso and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, the sources said.

The schedule for the visits is likely to be taken up in talks between Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and Chinese officials in Beijing this weekend.