Shinzo Abe to seek contact with Xi Jinping at forthcoming Asian-African Summit in Jakarta
Despite a number of areas of ongoing conflict between Japan and China, Prime Minister Abe will try to establish lines of communication with his counterpart in Beijing at the meeting
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will seek contact with China’s President Xi Jinping next week when they join an international conference in Indonesia, a Japanese government source said Saturday.
The two countries have been increasing dialogue despite strained relations over territory and perceptions of wartime history.
Abe and Xi will attend the Asian-African Summit, starting Wednesday in Jakarta, along with other leaders from the regions. They could have a brief conversation during the summit, the source said, suggesting it might be possible for them to have bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit if China agrees.
The two leaders met for the first time last November in Beijing.
Despite the mutual approach, China's Coast Guard vessels have continued to intrude into Japanese territorial waters around the Japanese-controlled Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, in the East China Sea.
China voiced opposition to Japan’s purchase of a major part of the islands from a private Japanese owner in 2012.