Chinese president Hu Jintao said in Beijing on Friday that the seven Japan-China friendship organizations based in Japan, which are making a concerted China visit, are the "backbone forces" in promoting the friendliness between the two countries.

These organizations serve as an "important bridge" for non-governmental exchange between the two countries and have done a lot of "helpful work" for the normalization of diplomatic ties and the promotion of friendliness between the two countries, said the president while meeting the heads of the organizations at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.

Noting that China-Japan relations are in a difficult period for the time being, Hu said that the Japanese organizations' current visit and their exchange and dialogue with relevant Chinese bodies have displayed the "benign wish" of the two peoples to improve bilateral relations.

The visit will contribute to shoring up mutual understanding, friendship and relations between the two countries, said the president.

The seven organizations, which have come as the guests of the China-Japan Friendship Association, are namely the Japanese Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Association of Dietmen League for Japan-China Friendship, Japan-China Friendship Association, Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association, Japan-China Association on Economy and Trade, Japan-China Society, and Japan-China Friendship Center.

The heads of the organizations include former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and former Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.

"This visit signifies the positive attitude China takes on promoting Sino-Japanese friendly exchange and cooperation," Qin Gang, a spokesman of the foreign ministry, said on Thursday.

During their three-day visit, Japanese guests will exchange views with people in charge of relevant organizations from the Chinese side on how to increase non-governmental exchanges and promote the growth of bilateral relations.

Sino-Japanese ties were soured by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to a shrine honoring convicted World War II war criminals.

The heads of the two neighboring countries have not exchanged visits for over four years, ever since Koizumi began paying homage at the controversial war shrine after he took office in 2001.

Non-governmental ties, a crucial aspect of Sino-Japanese relations, are considered very important by the Chinese leadership.

"We should strengthen people-to-people exchanges and enhance mutual understanding and trust," Premier Wen Jiabao told a press conference after the National People's Congress.

In the past, China and Japan succeeded in promoting bilateral relations through non-governmental exchanges, recalled Feng Zhaokui, a researcher with the prestigious Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Now it is imperative to boost people-to-people exchanges to mend the Sino-Japanese ties beset with great difficulties."