Xi: Mutual trust key to improving China-Japan ties

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‍Chinese President Xi Jinping said the key to improving China-Japan ties lies in mutual trust and urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to take more practical actions to improve relations with China.

Xi was speaking during a meeting with Abe Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Xi said that China and Japan are close neighbors and also the major economies in Asia and the world. The steady development of China-Japan relations is in the interest of both sides and has a significant impact on the region and the world. He called for properly managing differences between China and Japan in a "constructive way."

Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd R) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Da Nang, Vietnam, November 11, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Abe said Japan is willing to advance strategic, mutually beneficial ties with China and hopes for cooperation with China within the Belt and Road framework.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. Next year will embrace the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between them.

The overseas trip is Xi's first after the 19th CPC National Congress. After attending the APEC meeting in Da Nang, he will then pay state visits to Vietnam and Laos from Sunday to Tuesday.

Abe was just re-elected prime minister at the beginning of November after his ruling bloc won a big parliamentary election in October.

APEC is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. This year's APEC Economic Leaders' Week is held under the theme of "Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future."

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