Apec forum a chance for Japan, China to mend ties - if their leaders meet

When more than 20 world leaders gather in Beijing for a key regional economic forum next week, all eyes will be on President Xi Jinping : will he hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe?

The decision will provide clues to the handling of maritime disputes that have unsettled the region, analysts say. The two-day Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit will also afford fellow leaders a closer look at how Xi and his ruling elite will carve out a role for China on the world stage, they say.

Thirteen years after it first hosted the Apec forum, China has spared no effort to ensure that this year's event will match its transformation from a fledging economy to the world's second-largest power. In 2001, when it hosted the event in Shanghai, China was about to enter the World Trade Organisation. Today, its economic size is five times larger. China's greater wealth has helped it gain geopolitical clout and prompted it to adopt a more assertive foreign policy.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an audience of diplomats, scholars and international journalists last Wednesday that hosting the event again was a vote of confidence in China by Apec economies. "China is ready," he said, to present an event that would leave a historic mark on the region and the world's economic development.

This year's Apec could be remembered, analysts say, for how China chooses to mend ties with Japan. While it's increasing likely that Xi and Abe may finally meet, some analysts are less optimistic that the discussion will ratchet down tensions between the two countries.

"Everyone is worried that if the maritime disputes continue, this could bring harm to regional trade," said Jia Qingguo , a professor of international relations at Peking University in Beijing.