China, Japan sign cooperation pact

On the first day of Chinese premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Japan, the two countries agreed to "look frankly" at history and support a "constructive world role" for each power in their first joint statement on relations in nearly a decade. The three-day visit, aimed at ramping up cooperation on business, environmental and diplomatic issues, will consist of talks on energy, environmental protection and a commitment to expand nuclear power programs, state media reported. China currently uses more coal than the US, the EU and Japan combined. In a joint statement, Japan's trade minister and the head of China's National Development and Reform Commission said: "Both countries understand that expansion of nuclear power generation in Asia and the world helps to ease energy supply-demand tightness and stop global warming."