BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- The strained relations between China and its neighbor Japan due mainly to the Yasukuni Shrine row see little sign of improvement despite a wave of recent visits by Japanese politicians.

    Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai, a heavyweight in the Japanese cabinet, ended his China visit on Thursday, seeking to ease the current situation by maintaining prosperous trade ties.

    Yet Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai underlined the Yasukuni Shrine issue, which he said was closely linked with trade cooperation.

    "The bilateral political relations will certainly affect economic ones, which have already seen a slower growth in 2005," said Bo in a meeting with Nikai.

    "The crux of the strained political relations lies in the Japanese leaders' repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which has severely hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," Bo said.

    The shrine honors over two million Japanese war dead including 14 top war criminals responsible for Japan's aggression against its Asian neighbors in World War II.

    During Nikai's stay in Beijing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao held a meeting with him, the highest-level dialogue between the two sides in the past two years. Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan also met with him.

    The Chinese and Japanese ruling parties also launched their first ever meeting under the China-Japan Ruling Parties Exchange Mechanism in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday, aimed at repairing the soured ties.

    The Mechanism was adopted in 2004 by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Japan's ruling coalition, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komei Party.

    The LDP's No. 3 leader Hidenao Nakagawa headed the eight-member delegation of the Japanese ruling coalition for the meeting. The participants from the Japanese ruling coalition expressed anxiety over the current situation. They pledged to continue communication with the CPC to explore practical and concrete measures of breaking the deadlock.

    "The recent China-Japan exchanges indicate that the Japanese side intends to mend ties and wants to keep the communication channel open so as to prevent relations from further deteriorating," said Yao Wenli, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

    "On the one hand, Japan realizes that the Japan-China relations should not proceed in their current state; on the other hand, some Japanese choose not to give up their incorrect view of history," said Liu Jiangyong, a professor with elite Qinghua University.

    Just ahead of Nikai's scheduled meeting later on Wednesday with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday rejected the latest call from China to stop visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, Kyodo News reported.

    "Yasukuni won't be a diplomatic card," Koizumi was quoted as telling reporters at his official residence.

    Because the Japanese leaders insist on paying homage to the warshrine, the recent visits by the Japanese politicians "could hardly play a decisive role in improving China-Japan relations," Liu said.

    Koizumi's shrine visit not only angers China, but also causes disagreement among Japanese politicians who call for a halt to the visits and the improvement of Japan-China relations.

    Yoshihisa Inoue, policy chief of the Komei Party, said his party has always opposed the visits because they are an important factor which damages mutual trust between Japan and China.

    At present, strong voices can be heard in Japan for the improvement of China-Japan relations, but the Japanese leaders need to resolve key issues that stand in the way of the development of bilateral relations, according to analysts.

    The Chinese side has no room for concessions or compromise on the historical issue, said Wang Yingfan, vice president of the Foreign Affairs Committee under China's legislature National People's Congress. Enditem