Japan-China summit on the cards, says LDP senior official

Tokyo

A SUMMIT meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping is very likely to take place in the "not too distant future", a senior official of Mr Abe's controlling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said in Tokyo on Wednesday, raising hopes of accelerating improvement in bilateral relations.

There is a "thawing relationship" between Japan and China, Toshihiro Nikai, chairman of the LDP's chief policymaking General Council, told the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. "We need a summit, and both leaders understand the need for such a meeting," he said.