On September 5, 2016, President Xi Jinping met in Hangzhou with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, who was in China to attend the G20 Summit.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Japan are important and close neighbors. The long-term, healthy and stable development of bilateral relations is in line with the benefits of people from both countries and conducive to regional peace and stability. The current China-Japan relations are still troubled by complications at times. The two countries should put aside disruptions and propel bilateral relations back on the track of normal development as soon as possible.

Xi Jinping stressed that China's basic stance to improve and develop its relations with Japan has not changed. Bilateral relations have now entered a key phase, where no progress means regression. Both sides should enhance their sense of responsibility and crisis awareness, and make efforts to expand the positive elements of bilateral relations while putting a lid on negative ones, in order to ensure stable improvement of bilateral relations. Both countries should also seize important opportunities including the 45th anniversary of normalization of China-Japan relations in 2017, and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan the year after, to push forward bilateral relations.

Xi Jinping emphasized that China and Japan should adhere to the four political documents and the four-point principled agreement reached in late 2014, in a bid to ensure that the political foundation of bilateral relations will stand firm. The two countries should properly manage historical issues, and prevent new issues from emerging as an attempt to cut back on the "stumbling blocks".

When talking about China-Japan cooperation, Xi Jinping noted that the two countries are highly complementary in economy and that they can strengthen communication on macroeconomic policy and raise the level of practical cooperation in all sectors. The two sides should also carry forward the friendly tradition between the two peoples and boost exchanges at local levels. Both countries should follow the new concept of win-win cooperation when jointly advancing regional cooperation and addressing global challenges.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Japan should properly handle the East China Sea issue via strengthened communication through dialogue and consultation and in line with the spirit of the four-point principled agreement to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region. Japan should exercise caution in its words and deeds on the South China Sea issue, so as not to disrupt the improvement of China-Japan relations.

Shinzo Abe congratulated on the complete success of the G20 Hangzhou Summit hosted by China, which has achieved fruitful results. He said that Japan attaches importance to its relations with China, and the two countries are neighbors that cannot be parted. Japan is willing to establish mutual trust with China, hopes to strive for the improvement of bilateral relations in the spirit of relevant consensus reached between the two countries, and maintains dialogues on relevant issues with the Chinese side. Japan hopes to step up cooperation with China in finance, trade, environmental protection as well as other areas.

Yang Jiechi and others attended the meeting.