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Agencies:

After talks with PM Modi, Japan PM Suga speaks to Xi Jinping, both agree on need for stability in region

September 26, 2020

After holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone, new Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga also spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping and agreed to the stability of ties between the two nations and also the region.

Yoshihide Suga said he and Xi Jinping agreed in talks Friday to work closely together by holding high level meetings including summits. �I told (Xi) that the stability of Japan-China relations is crucial, not only for the two countries but also for the region and for international society,� Suga told reporters after his conversation with the Chinese president.

Earlier on Friday, Japan PM Suga held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two discussed their intent to achieve a �free and open Indo-Pacific� aimed at checking China's maritime assertiveness.

PM Modi and Yoshihide Suga touched upon a range of issues including the Mumbai Ahmedabad high speed rail project and ways to deepen co-operation for a free and open Indo-Pacific region in their talks on Friday.

Soon after the talks, PM Modi said it was agreed that stronger India-Japan ties would help meet the challenges of the current regional and global situation.

Later, Suga and Xi Jinping agreed to hold summits and other high-level meetings to co-operate in bilateral, regional and international issues, he said.

Relations between the two Asian rivals have improved recently as China faces heightened tensions with the United States. But Japan sees China's military development and increasingly assertive stance in the East and South China Seas as a major security threat.