CANBERRA, Nov. 8 -- Scholars on international strategy and Sino-Japanese relations Saturday positively commented on the four-point agreement reached between China and Japan on Friday, saying the agreement is expected to lead to an improvement of bilateral relations.

"This development shows a new maturity in Chinese diplomacy which may well have been tested by confusing signals from Tokyo in the past few years," said Shiro Armstrong, Co-Director of the Australia-Japan Research Centre, Australian National University, in a letter to Xinhua.

"It is an encouraging sign that China can project its new weight with restraint at the same time as appeal to and respect principles that are based on responsibility in constructive and cooperative international dealings."

China and Japan on Friday reached a four-point agreement to improve bilateral ties, agreeing to resume political, diplomatic and security dialogue while acknowledging different positions on the Diaoyu Islands.

Armstrong called the agreement "an excellent development", saying it was not a surprise but a "very good news".

"The principles are based on core interests in positive development of the relationship since China's opening and normalisation of the relationship with Japan. It would have been a surprise if both countries had not had the good sense to return to these core interests which are not just bilateral interests but interests which the rest of the regional and global community can respect if they are faithfully followed through."

Hugh White, a well-known strategist and Professor of Strategic Studies at Australian National University, said the agreement is " the most positive and promising development in Asian strategic affairs for many years".

"It offers an important step back from the tensions between Asia's two strongest powers which have unsettled the region in recent years and offers the prospect of reduced risk of confrontation and conflict between them," he said.

He said the agreement is not only important for the two countries but also important for the entire region, because " clearly Asia cannot be peaceful and stable unless relations between these two great powers are harmonious".

The wording of the agreed statement suggests that both sides have been willing to compromise in order to achieve this important outcome. "Leaders in both Beijing and Tokyo deserve credit for this," he said.