Japan PM Shinzo Abe to visit China in October

Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) shakes hands with Chinas President Xi Jinping (R) prior to their bilateral meeting in Vladivostok on September 12, 2018, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum hosted by Russia. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / Japan Poo

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that he will be visiting China in October to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of peace and friendship treaty between the two countries and improve bilateral ties, which have been strained of late.

Abe comments came as he met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Eastern Economic Forum that is underway at Vladivostok, Russia.

"The horizon is broadening on cooperation between Japan and China. Relations between our two countries are now on a normal track," Abe was cited as saying by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The Japanese leader said that he was determined to take bilateral ties to the next level with the help of top-level interactions. Although Abe has previously travelled to China to attend international summits, this would be the first bilateral trip by a Japanese leader since 2011.

The two countries have been sparring over the sovereignty of the resource-rich Diaoyu Islands Senkaku in Japanese, situated in the East China Sea.

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