SAINT-PETERSBURG: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met briefly with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit on Thursday, a Japanese official said, even though no formal meeting was initially planned amid a bitter dispute between the two Asian powers over outcrops in the East China sea.

“They met before going into the first session of the G20 meeting,” Kotaro Otsuki, spokesman at the Japanese embassy in Moscow, said.

In their first face-to-face encounter since Abe took office in December and Xi in March, the two leaders shook hands and spoke for about five minutes, the spokesman said.

He added that he did not have details on the conversation and could not give an evaluation on the significance of the meeting.

Earlier on Thursday, a Chinese spokesman said that were “no plans” for bilateral talks between the two leaders and that China was not to blame for current ‘difficulties’ between the two east Asian powers.

“There are difficulties between China and Japan relations at the moment. Responsibility does not lie with China,” said Qin Gang, spokesman of the Chinese delegation at the G20.

The two nations are at loggerheads over outcrops controlled by Tokyo, which calls them the Senkaku islands, and claimed by Beijing, which knows them as the Diaoyus. “China’s position on Diaoyu is clear. The islands belong to China,” said Qin.

“The differences in views should be effectively managed through consultations. Unfortunately, China’s reasonable proposals have not been met with proper responses from Japan,” he said.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Regional bonhomie
Updated 23 May, 2025

Regional bonhomie

Trilateral cooperation and commercial activity can lead to prosperity for all involved, specifically Afghanistan.
Local government bill
23 May, 2025

Local government bill

THE PML-N leadership is known for concentrating powers in the hands of the top political office and governing ...
New normal?
Updated 23 May, 2025

New normal?

WHY can’t the PTI and its jailed leader decide what they want? Even while leverage is slipping from its hands, the...
Khuzdar atrocity
Updated 22 May, 2025

Khuzdar atrocity

A process of reconciliation is sorely needed in the province, solely militarised response will be insufficient.
Budget and climate
22 May, 2025

Budget and climate

Govt's plan to present a climate-focused budget for the next fiscal year is a welcome paradigm shift in national economic planning.
Justice for Noor
Updated 22 May, 2025

Justice for Noor

Noor's death was the result of not just one person’s malevolence, but a preventable tragedy caused by several individuals failing to do the right thing.