Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to start his three-day trip to China on Thursday, the first bilateral visit by a Japanese prime minister in seven years.

Abe is set to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang upon arrival and hold talks with President Xi Jinping on Friday, as the two historic rivals are drawn towards each other under pressure from the United States.

Abe and Xi are to discuss various global and regional issues, including North Korea's denuclearization.

Abe, who is travelling with a large business delegation, is likely to propose new forms of cooperation between the world's second- and third-largest economies during his talks with Li, at a time when China is mired in a bitter trade war with the US.

Japan is also under pressure from US President Donald Trump to import more automotive and agricultural products in an attempt to slash chronic US trade deficits.

Japan said on Tuesday it had decided to discontinue its 40-year official development assistance for China as the aid "has fulfilled its role" now that the country has achieved economic growth and development in technology, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

The two countries' relations had been badly frayed after Japan purchased uninhabited islets called the Senkakus in the East China Sea in September 2012, which are also claimed by China, where they are known as Diaoyu.