In his first in-person meeting in a year with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, China's President Xi Jinping said that the two economies should reaffirm their strategic relationship.

The meeting between Xi and Kishida took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco on Thursday evening.

Kishida posted a picture of himself shaking hands with Xi on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

 "The first Japan-China summit meeting in a year was held with President Xi Jinping," he wrote. 

What has been said?

Kishida said China and Japan "share a mutual responsibility to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world." 

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Xi told Kishida that it was in the interest of the two countries to coexist peacefully, cooperate and grow together.

During their meeting, Xi said the countries should "focus on common interests and properly handle differences," adding that China and Japan should reaffirm their "strategic relationship of mutual benefit and give it new meaning."

According to Chinese state television, China and Japan have also agreed to more high-level economic dialogue at an appropriate time to find a way to solve the issue of the discharge of "contaminated" water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.

Plans for the future

The leaders of the two countries are also expected to deliberate about formulating a new framework to discuss exports and trade, Japanese media reported.

In August, China had imposed a blanket ban on Japan's seafood following Tokyo's decision to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima power plant.

Japan is also likely to push for China to revoke its ban on the seafood while also looking to secure the release of Japanese citizens arrested by Chinese authorities.

mfi/kb (AP, Reuters)