LIMA (Peru) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Chinese President Xi Jinping early yesterday that he aims to improve ties with China by capitalising on key anniversaries for bilateral relations in the next few years, said a Japanese government spokesman.

“While dealing with outstanding issues in an appropriate manner and from a broad perspective, I’d like to forge a stable and good relationship,” Mr Abe was quoted as saying, according to the official.

Mr Abe told Mr Xi he would like to seek comprehensive improvement of ties with eyes on the 45th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations next year and the 40th anniversary of the Japan-China peace and friendship treaty in 2018, said the spokesman.

In response, Mr Xi said: “I was impressed with the Prime Minister’s words. It is important to settle outstanding issues properly and increase popular sentiment towards improving ties”, according to Mr Kotaro Nogami, Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, who briefed reporters about the 10-minute-long meeting.

The meeting, the first face-to-face since early September and only involving their interpreters among the officials, took place as relations between the world’s second- and third-largest economies remain fragile over growing regional rivalry and a territorial dispute in the East China Sea.

Beijing and Tokyo have been locked in a territorial dispute over a group of tiny, uninhabited East China Sea islands, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

To accelerate the pace of fence-mending efforts next year, followed by the 40th anniversary of the Japan-China peace and friendship treaty in 2018, Japan is hoping to host a trilateral summit with China and South Korea by the end of next month.

The two leaders held impromptu talks while attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ meeting in the Peruvian capital, Lima.

Mr Abe also expressed his desire to receive Chinese Premier Li Keqiang soon in Japan, according to the official. But Mr Xi gave no clear answer to the request, said the official.

If Mr Li attends the trilateral summit, it will mark his first visit to Japan since assuming the premiership in 2013.

Japan has been finding it hard to fix the date for a three-way summit in line with the three countries’ agreement last year to hold it within this year. The difficulty stems also from uncertainty over the fate of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who is facing growing calls to resign due to an influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime confidante.

China’s Foreign Ministry said the brief talks happened at the request of the Japanese side.

“President Xi Jinping stated clearly China’s principled position on developing Sino-Japan relations,” said the Ministry, without elaborating. AGENCIES