Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attend a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 26, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is willing to advance its relations with Japan and return to healthy and normalized two-way ties, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday.

China also supports talks between Japan and North Korea to resolves issues, Li said at a joint briefing with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Beijing.

Both nations recognize that free trade should be safeguarded, Li said, adding that China had no wish to pursue a competitive devaluation of its yuan.