Japanese and Chinese ruling parties resume talks after six-year hiatus

China's Communist Party and Japan's ruling parties agreed to focus more on common interests rather than disagreements on Thursday as they resumed their consultative meeting for the first time in more than six years.

The move is another sign of improving ties between Asia's two major powers.

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The meeting in Beijing took place after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to accelerate the process of thawing once-frosty relations by increasing communications in various channels.

“There are a range of fields in which Japan and China can work together and it is necessary for both sides to continue win-win cooperation,” Sadakazu Tanigaki, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in his opening remarks.

Among other issues, Tanigaki suggested that Japan and China could learn from each other how best to overcome social and economic difficulties stemming from their rapidly ageing populations.

Wang Jiarui, who was until quite recently head of the Communist Party's international department and represented the Chinese side at the talks, expressed similar sentiments.

“We would like to seek common ground as much as possible,” Wang said, adding that the two countries should also seek to control their persistent differences.