Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's close aide and a Chinese high-ranking diplomat on Tuesday worked out the details of the premier's planned visit to China in October, with ties between the two nations improving.

At the outset of their meeting in Suzhou, eastern China, Japan's national security adviser Shotaro Yachi told Chinese official Yang Jiechi, "Prime Minister Abe is planning to visit China in the near future." He also invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Japan.

Tokyo and Beijing are believed to be making arrangements for Abe to visit China around Oct. 23, when the two countries celebrate the 40th anniversary of a bilateral peace and friendship treaty taking effect, sources familiar with the matter said.

Yang, a political bureau member of the Chinese Communist Party, said China and Japan have had "close communication" to realize Abe's visit to China, emphasizing that the two nations should make efforts to maintain the momentum of improvement of bilateral ties.

Abe's trip to China would mark a further thaw in relations between Tokyo and Beijing, which have often been marred by issues regarding territory.

It would be the first time since December 2011 that a Japanese prime minister has visited China, apart from trips to attend international conferences.

In Beijing, meanwhile, Japan and China held their first meeting of a public-private sector council to discuss specific projects of cooperation related to Beijing's "One Belt, One Road" cross-border infrastructure initiative.

China has sought to expand its infrastructure networks in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa to attain its goal of connecting countries situated along the ancient Silk Road more closely.

Japan and China decided to set up the council when Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks in Tokyo in May.