Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit meeting that he wants the two nations to work together for a better understanding and improved relations, and that "the door to dialogue is always open."

At the summit, Abe also briefly exchanged greetings with South Korean President Park Geun-hye prior to the start of a dinner reception. It was the first time Abe has had contact with the two Asian leaders since taking office in December.

Abe and Xi spoke briefly for about five minutes on Sept. 5 outside a meeting room at the summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Territorial disputes and differences over historical interpretations have undermined Japan's ties with China and South Korea in recent months.

According to Japanese officials, Abe and Xi shook hands and exchanged polite greetings through interpreters.

A high-ranking Japanese government official said Abe repeated his previous stance and told Xi, "I want to return Japan-China relations to the starting point of a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests that takes in the bigger picture. The door to dialogue is always open."

The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Sept. 6 that Xi told Abe, "The recent situation in which China-Japan relations face serious difficulties is not something that we want. Japan should seek out ways to appropriately defuse the tensions and resolve the problem by properly handling such delicate matters as the Diaoyu Islands and history (understanding)."

Diaoyu is the Chinese name for the Senkaku Islands, which are at the center of the territorial dispute between Japan and China.

The Xinhua report went on to say that Abe said, "I had strongly wished to meet with President Xi here. I sincerely hope for an improvement in Japan-China relations."

---------------------

Writers: Jun Tabushi in St. Petersburg and Nozomu Hayashi in Beijing.

This news was published on: September 06, 2013.

Source: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201309060050