Rare phone call between Japan and China leaders on North Korea nuclear issue
(Baonghean.vn) - On May 4, a Japanese government source said that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a very rare phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the call, the two leaders likely agreed to cooperate bilaterally to deal with North Korea's nuclear weapons issue.
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| Japanese and Chinese leaders hold phone talks on North Korean nuclear issue. Photo: AP |
The phone call comes ahead of a trilateral summit between Japan, China and South Korea in Tokyo, and ahead of the first-ever summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in the coming weeks. A phone call between the leaders of Japan and China is an extremely rare move.
Ahead of the trilateral summit in Tokyo on May 9, Mr. Abe and Mr. Xi are said to have discussed ways to improve bilateral relations, strengthen economic cooperation as well as the possibility of organizing mutual visits by the two countries' leaders.
Prime Minister Abe expressed his desire to visit China, and was aware of the Chinese president's desire to visit Japan. According to Japanese government sources, Abe is likely to seek China's support in resolving the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
Last March, Chinese President Xi Jinping held an informal summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Beijing, before the leaders of the two Koreas held a historic summit on April 27. China is North Korea's main ally./.