TOKYO (Kyodo) — Around 100 Japanese and Chinese experts met in Tokyo on Thursday, calling on their governments to expand dialogue and promote people-to-people exchanges to improve public opinion amid fragile bilateral relations .

At a forum on China-Japan relations, academics, alongside prominent political and economic leaders from both countries, called for establishing a “trust framework” to prevent emergencies, including regular talks between their defense authorities.

“The mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests, agreed by the two governments, will be achieved through understanding and trust between their nationals,” said a statement issued after the two-day talks.

The event was co-chaired by Japanese non-profit think tank Genron NPO and the China International Communications Group. On Monday, the two organizations released their annual joint survey, which found that about 90 percent of Japanese and Chinese people have negative perceptions of each other.

The two Asian countries are at odds over the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, claimed by Beijing. Chinese ships have repeatedly entered Japanese territorial waters surrounding the uninhabited islets.

Repairing the deteriorating sentiment is a “priority challenge,” the statement said, adding that Tokyo and Beijing “should make serious efforts” to expand interactions between the Japanese and Chinese.

Participants also explored a wide range of topics related to bilateral cooperation at the annual forum, which was held in person in Tokyo for the first time in six years.