BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang announced here Friday that Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will pay an official visit to China from Dec. 27-30.

    It will be Fukuda's first visit to China since he took office in September.

    The foreign ministry didn't immediately disclose details of Fukuda's visit, but reports indicated that the agenda might include talks with Chinese leaders, a lecture at the prestigious Peking University, and visits to a new coastal development zone in Tianjin and the tomb of Confucius in Qufu, which is in east China's Shandong Province.

    In November, Fukuda held his first meeting as prime minister with Chinese leaders when he met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Singapore.

    Wen told Fukuda that the Chinese people were familiar with him, as Fukuda's father, the late former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, signed a treaty of friendly cooperation with China 29 years ago.

    The year 2008, which marks the 30th anniversary of that treaty, is expected to witness the first visit to Japan by a Chinese head of state in a decade, when Chinese President Hu Jintao makes his Japan trip next year.

    Bilateral ties have improved since visit by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to China last October, and visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Japan in April this year.

    "If the two trips were ice-breaking and thawing, Fukuda's trip will serve to 'warm the water'", said Yang Bojiang, director of the Institute of Japanese Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

    Describing the visit as "timely and of special importance," Yang said that the trip indicated Japan was seeking to make its policies towards improved relations with China "consistent".

    The prime minister's visit will be the latest of a series of high-profile bilateral exchanges this year, including a landmark visit to Japan by a Chinese navy ship, and the first China-Japan high-level economic dialogue, acclaimed by both parties as "very fruitful".

    Japan is already China's third-largest trade partner and the second-largest source of foreign direct investment. China is Japan's largest trade partner and one of Japan's fastest growing export markets.

    Liu Jiangyong, professor of international affairs at Tsinghua University, said Fukuda might seek further progress or breakthroughs in issues including the joint exploration of East China Sea, but consensus could only be reached with more strategic views, patience and earnestness.

    Liu said the China visit will be a touchstone for Fukuda's diplomacy in Asia. "If Fukuda's visit to the U.S. last month is a prelude of his diplomacy, the Asian diplomacy, including its relations with China, will be an important chapter," he added.

    Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cui Tiankai said in Tokyo Thursday that Fukuda's upcoming China visit and Chinese President Hu Jintao's planned visit to Japan next year will be opportunities for further exchanges on the development of Sino-Japanese relations.

    The visits are also opportunities to advance the strategic relationship for mutual benefit and enhance mutual strategic trust, he said.

    "It is our common wish that bilateral relations will embark on a track of long-term stable and sound development," the ambassador added.