China and Japan agree to restart top-level East China Sea talks
Meeting between Li Keqiang and Shinzo Abe yields a 'breakthrough' commitment on discussions on hold since 2012
Japan and China agreed late on Sunday to restart high-level talks that were put on hold amid strained ties, a senior Japanese official said after Premier Li Keqiang held his first meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The two nations agreed to aim to resume talks on exploration of natural resources in the East China Sea, which have been suspended since 2012, and to have a high-level bilateral economic dialogue early next year after a six-year hiatus.
Abe and Li also agreed that the two countries would work towards an "early" set-up of a maritime and air communications mechanism to prevent conflict, and to restart reciprocal visits by their foreign ministers, the Japanese official said.
Abe said he had "unwavering faith" in the principle of building strategic relations of mutual benefit with China. Li called on Tokyo to accommodate its Asian neighbours when handling military security and for concerted efforts from both sides to ensure mutual ties stayed on the right track.
The leaders' talks were held on the sidelines of a summit between China, Japan and South Korea in Seoul.
Read more: China and Japan eye early launch of East China Sea crisis management mechanism
Ties between Beijing and Tokyo have been battered by disputes over the East China Sea and second world war grievances, but relations have improved over the past year with summit meetings.
