Chinese president faces criticism over Tibet in Japan

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Despite such bumps, Hu's five-day visit to Japan has gone a long way in stressing good ties and cooperation between the two countries. Hu arrived Tuesday, becoming the first Chinese president to visit Tokyo in 10 years.

At Waseda, he called for Japan and China to work together "hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder" to rejuvenate Asia and bring about world development and peace.

"The two countries should be partners, not competitors," he said, addressing a country that has watched China's spectacular expansion with wariness. "One's growth can be the other's opportunity, not a threat."

On Wednesday, Hu and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda met for a meticulously choreographed summit. The two pledged to work together on everything from climate change to North Korea and territorial disputes, with Fukuda hinting without elaborating that the neighbors were on the verge of settling a spat over maritime gas deposits.

They also announced that Tokyo and Beijing would hold annual summits to prevent a recurrence of the decade-long gap in visits to Japan by Chinese presidents since Jiang Zemin's rocky trip to Tokyo in 1998.

But there appeared to be little substance to the talks.

The most concrete agreement so far was over pandas. Hu offered to loan a pair of pandas to Japan following the death last week of 22-year-old giant panda Ling Ling at Tokyo's largest zoo, and Fukuda thanked him.

The two sides' determination to emphasize the positive illustrated how economics has trumped political rivalry.

China, with Hong Kong included, is Japan's largest trading partner, having eclipsed the United States. Bilateral trade reached $237 billion last year, according to Chinese statistics.

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