BEIJING, Nov. 9  -- As China and Japan have reached a four-point principled agreement, a unmistakable albeit nascent sign for a thaw in bilateral ties, some observers begin to weigh in on the possibility of a top-level bilateral meeting here in the coming days.

But first of all, the watchers need to listen carefully to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's latest remarks on China-Japan relationship, which have pointed out a clear direction to the eventual improvement in the two-way ties.

When meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on Saturday, Wang urged Japan to break completely from its militarist past, stick to the path of peaceful development, and pursue a positive policy toward China.

Despite all the present quarrels, disputes and enmities between the two sides, it is worthwhile to revisit the "old good days" of the bilateral ties and do some soul searching, especially for the Japanese side.

In fact, the recent estrangement between the two Asian giants contrasted sharply with the burgeoning exchanges of previous decades, which had greatly benefitted the two peoples and the region.

Since the two countries normalized their ties in early 1970s, statesmen with strategic visions from both sides, such as Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Masayoshi Ohira and Kakuei Tanaka, have played key roles in transcending historical woes and securing bilateral relations in normal track on the basis of four major political documents.

The papers have provided fundamental solutions to achieving a rapprochement, including mutual support of each other's peaceful development and avoiding menacing each other. However, after they were seriously breached in recent years, the mutual ties took a nosedive.

Had the principles of the documents always been well observed, Tokyo could have saved itself a lot of trouble and does not have to seek remedy after the damage has already been done.

If the Japanese leaders have no intention to undo the efforts of their predecessors to build a stable and healthy relationship with China, they need to take a fair and positive view of China's rapid development and adjust its China policy with a strategic perspective, so as to build on the momentum to bring the bilateral relations back to normal.

The ice trapping bilateral relations is too thick to melt in a day or two. But the task demands no delay, and it is high time Japan abide by its commitment and roll out real actions to make that happen.