Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on a regular press conference on Tuesday that China hopes Japan will take a more active role in co-building the Belt and Road.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang (File photo: fmprc.gov.cn)

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that Japan is ready to conduct third-party cooperation with China if the Belt and Road can meet the conditions such as openness and transparency.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (File photo: VCG)

In responding to this, Geng said the Chinese and Japanese leaders have reached important consensus on conducting third-party cooperation under the Belt and Road framework.

During Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit last year, the first China-Japan Third-Party Market Cooperation Forum was held by the two sides where a series of concrete cooperation documents were inked, he added.

Geng said that jointly building the Belt and Road has offered a new platform for China and Japan to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

He also stressed that China stands ready to work with all countries to ensure a high-quality and high-level implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and deliver more benefits to people of all countries.