China and Japan FM's meet in Beijing in attempt to thaw tensions

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The foreign ministers of China and Japan held a rare bilateral meeting on Saturday in an effort to improve their strained ties.
Although there are a number of issues the two countries are deeply at odds over, one area they did find common ground was North Korea.
Kwon Jang-Ho reports.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, hosted a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, in Beijing on Saturday.
It's the first time in four-and-a-half years that a Japanese foreign minister has visited Beijing for such talks.
The two nations have had a difficult political history, stretching back over one-hundred years,... but the most recent issues have been around conflicting claims over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
Although tensions have been thawing, Beijing did not exactly welcome Kishida with open arms.

"As the Chinese saying goes, we should make a judgment based on not only what people say but also what they do. Today, I am ready to listen to your opinion about how to improve China-Japan relations, and I am also going to see whether the Japanese side will sincerely match its words with deeds."

China are also said to be suspicious over a ruling in Japan last year, which allowed its military to fight overseas for the first time since the war.

One issue that they did find common ground on was North Korea.
Both sides agreed that the regime's recent provocations were of 'serious concern.'
North Korea has defied recent sanctions imposed by the UN by carrying out a series of missile launches, with rumors of a possible fifth nuclear test starting to emerge.
Kishida stressed that the two countries need to work together in order to adopt measures that stop Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

The Japanese foreign minister continued his charm offensive meeting with the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, with further meetings between the two countries being planned for the near future.
Kwon Jang-Ho, Arirang News.

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