China welcomed the first Japanese war ship to visit since World War II, a sign of continually improving relations between the two Asian countries, AFP reported. The Sazanami, sailing from western Hiroshima prefecture and carrying earthquake relief supplies, arrived in the port city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province on Tuesday. This follows a visit by a Chinese navy missle destroyer to Japan last year. Hu Jintao in May became the first Chinese president to travel to Japan in a decade. The two countries last week reached an agreement on joint exploration and profit sharing for underwater gas reserves in the East China Sea, ending a four-year dispute.