Tokyo - Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday met Japanese medical and rescue teams to express appreciation for their efforts in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake.

"People of China forever remember your contribution," Hu told 16 Japanese quake rescue and medical staff, referring to their efforts after the magnitude-8 earthquake that hit China's Sichuan Province on May 12.

At a Sapporo hotel in northern Japan, the Chinese leader gave the Japanese rescuers photo albums and DVDs with footages of their mission.

"We are nothing but proud to receive Chinese people's appreciation," Takashi Koizumi, a Japanese team director, was quoted as saying by Jiji Press.

After the earthquake hit, Japan sent about 60 members to Sichuan Province to conduct a rescue mission with sniffer dogs and machines to detect victims buried under the rubble, while a medical team attended to quake survivors at a hospital in the provincial capital of Chengdu.

Hu was visiting Japan to attend the Group of Eight summit meeting in Toyako on Tuesday. (dpa)