Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to further their countries' relations. The 2 leaders met for about 50 minutes on Saturday in the southern Vietnamese city of Da Nang. This was their 6th meeting with the previous one held in Germany in July.

Xi opened the talks by saying he and Abe built a consensus on bilateral relations when they met at the G-20 summit in July. He said there are still many things to do in the process of improving ties between the 2 countries. Xi said he will promote positive developments in bilateral ties.

Abe said Japan and China are solidifying their leadership. He said relations will improve next year as they look forward to marking the 40th year since signing the bilateral peace and friendship treaty between the 2 countries.

Abe said Japan and China hold a big responsibility for stability and peace in the region, and worldwide.

He said he would like to cooperate with China, particularly on responding to challenges in North Korea.

Abe expressed his appreciation for China's efforts to take concrete steps to implement the UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea. Abe said he hopes the efforts will continue.

Referring to Xi's recent meeting with US President Donald Trump, Abe said he understands the talks were a great success.

He said it is significant that the 2 leaders agreed on efforts toward denuclearization by putting an economic squeeze on Pyongyang.

Abe is believed to have discussed not just North Korea but also the situation in the East and South China Seas. He is also believed to have urged Xi to help Japan,China and South Korea hold summit talks in Japan by the year-end.

Source: ANNnewsCH