Japan's neighbors, including China, Taiwan, South Korea and Russia, on Monday voiced eagerness to improve their ties with Tokyo after Fumio Kishida succeeded Yoshihide Suga as prime minister.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent Kishida a congratulatory letter saying he would like to boost mutual trust and cooperation through dialogue and communication.
China's Premier Li Keqiang, in a separate message, said the two sides should promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations and jointly welcome next year's 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations.