Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a long-sought meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping Monday, according to news reports. They met in Beijing for the first time since Xi took office ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and reportedly spoke for about 25 minutes, dpa reported. Xi urged Japan to "do more things that help enhance the mutual trust between Japan and its neighboring countries," China's official Xinhua news agency reported. "Severe difficulties have emerged in Sino-Japanese relations in recent two years and the rights and wrongs behind them are crystal clear," Xi reportedly said. Abe told Xi that "China's peaceful development is a significant opportunity for Japan and the world," according to Xinhua. "I believe Japan and China made the first step in improving relations by going back to the original point of a strategic relationship of mutual benefit," Abe told reporters after the meeting.
