Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Chinese counterpart, Li Keqiang, on Wednesday held bilateral talks during which they called for increased cooperation between the two countries and stressed that stability in the Asia-Pacific region would improve relations, media reported
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th December, 2019) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Chinese counterpart, Li Keqiang, on Wednesday held bilateral talks during which they called for increased cooperation between the two countries and stressed that stability in the Asia-Pacific region would improve relations, media reported.
Abe and Li talked for 50 minutes on the outskirts of the Chinese city of Chengdu, according to the Japanese NHK broadcaster.
Key themes of the bilateral discussions included the ongoing preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Japan next spring, negotiations for the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and free trade agreements between China, Japan and South Korea, the media outlet stated.
Abe called on China to ease restrictions on Japanese food imports, primarily on beef and rice, the broadcaster added.
Both leaders also discussed issues in the East China Sea regarding a set of islands both countries claim as their own. The islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyu Islands and Japan refers to as the Senkaku Islands, have strategic importance for their location on shipping routes, fishing grounds, and oil and gas fields. In June, both China and Japan deployed military vessels to patrol near the islands.
China, Japan and South Korea participated in a one-day summit in Chengdu on Tuesday. After the trilateral talks, the leaders stressed for economic cooperation and stability in the region in order to improve relations. They also discussed the need to ensure continued dialogue between the United States and North Korea amid a breakdown in denuclearization talks.
