From AP:
Japan’s foreign minister met with his Chinese counterpart Saturday seeking closer cooperation on North Korean disarmament, the global financial crisis and a joint gas reserve project, despite a diplomatic spat over disputed territory in the East China Sea.
Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said the two countries — which have the world’s second and third largest economies — should lead regional initiatives to battle the financial crisis and stimulate trade, Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama said.
“As Japan-China relations are now confronted with some difficulties, I would like to communicate with China on how to advance the ties,” Nakasone told Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
The two sides avoided inflaming tensions in their long-standing dispute over the East China Sea island chain that China calls Diaoyutai but is known as Senkaku in Japan. But they agreed their conflicting claims should not undermine their overall relationship, Kodama said.
