Leaders Of China, Japan To Talk By Phone

President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga are planning to hold talks by telephone on Friday, Kyodo News reported, their first discussion since Suga took over as Japan's leader.

The talks are aimed at further expanding ties between the two countries, Kyodo said on Tuesday, citing multiple unidentified government sources. The leaders are also expected to discuss Xi's state visit to Japan which was postponed earlier this year due to the coronavirus, the news agency said.

Suga last week became Japan's first new leader in nearly eight years and has been speaking by phone with world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.

He faces a delicate balancing act in keeping Japan's relations with China and the US on track as tensions heighten between the two.

Beijing and Tokyo also have their own tensions over longtime issues, including a territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands and Japan's wartime atrocities. (Reuters)