Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday that it is essentially up to Japan to make a decision on holding this year's trilateral summit among the leaders of Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing, citing "still fragile" ties between Japan and China.

The leaders of South Korea, Japan and China resumed a trilateral summit in South Korea last year, marking the first such meeting in about three years, with the aim of repairing relations strained from historical and territorial issues.

"As to whether the format enjoys smooth development in the future, it is very much up to interactions among the three countries, in particular, the relationship between China and Japan," Li said when asked about the prospects of holding a trilateral gathering this year.

Li was speaking to a press conference at the end of China's annual session of its rubber-stamp parliament.

"There have been some signs of improvement in Sino-Japanese ties, but it is not fully established yet, and still remains fragile," Li said.

Diplomatic relations between China and Japan have never been good because of their shared history and a bitter dispute over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. (Yonhap)