Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe plan talks on Apec sidelines in Beijing

Japan and the United States are arranging for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Barack Obama to meet for talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing in November, according to Japanese government sources.

Abe and Obama were expected to express their willingness to work with President Xi Jinping to reduce tensions in the Asia-Pacific region triggered by territorial disputes in the South and East China seas, the sources said.

The Japanese leader is also calling on Xi to hold talks with him on the fringes of the Apec summit on November 10 and 11. Abe and Xi have yet to hold one-on-one talks since they took office. Relations between Japan and China have plunged to the lowest level in decades due to a territorial dispute over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, called the Diaoyu Islands, in Chinese, and differing perceptions of wartime history.

Abe and Obama are likely to avoid making comments during their meeting in Beijing that could be interpreted as warnings about China's rise. Abe and Obama may avoid mentioning China's growing military influence and assertiveness in Asian waters, which have caused friction with Japan and Southeast Asian countries, especially Vietnam and the Philippines.

Abe is expected to tell Obama that Japan will make efforts to improve relations with China. If talks with Xi materialise in Beijing before Abe meets Obama, the Japanese prime minister is likely to explain to the US president what was discussed with the Chinese leader in an effort to ease American concerns over the deterioration in Japan-China ties.

Abe and Obama are also expected to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, with Abe seeking US understanding of Tokyo's reluctance to go as far as Washington in applying pressure on Russia through economic sanctions.