MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) — Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suggested to Chinese President Xi Jinping creating a "hotline" to prevent conflicts at sea Monday.
"I asked him that we implement a maritime communication mechanism, and I think we will start working on concrete steps toward it," Abe told reporters on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Beijing, as quoted by Channel News Asia.
The proposal comes after the recent escalation of tensions between Japan and China over Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea since Japan bought some of the disputed islands in 2012.
The uninhabited islands of Senkaku, currently administrated by Japan, are subjects of a major territorial dispute between Japan and China. In 2013, China included the islands in its Air Defense Identification Zone. Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese navies have carried out exercises in the area, sparking mutual accusations of provocations and increasing military tensions in the region.
"It was the first step for improving ties by returning to mutually beneficial relations based on common strategic interests," Abe was reported as saying.
On Monday the two-day meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders started in Beijing. The summit welcomes 21 nations to discuss economic issues, as well as global efforts to respond to the Ebola virus epidemic, the situation in Ukraine, and other ongoing crises.
