No improvement in Tokyo-Beijing ties without stability in E. China Sea, Japanese PM Abe says

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday that there would be no true improvement in bilateral relations without stability in the East China Sea, Reuters reports.

The two leaders held a bilateral meeting in the Chinese city of Chengdu, on the sidelines of a three-way summit with South Korea.

Abe also urged Li to swiftly remove import restrictions on Japanese food products, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said in a summary of the meeting.

On Tuesday, Abe asked President Moon Jae-in at their first bilateral talks in 15 months to take steps “to restore ties between Japan and South Korea to a healthy state.”