It took 8 yrs, Trump's tariff war for China, Japan to hold economic summit

China and Japan have resumed high-level economic talks after a hiatus of nearly eight years in a sign of improving ties in their often-frosty relationship.

The Japan-China High-Level Economic Dialogue was being held Monday in Tokyo for the first time since August 2010.

The Chinese side was led by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister for bilateral talks since 2009.

Asia's two largest economies have reason to cooperate in the face of President Donald Trump's moves to impose tariffs on imports from their countries and his demands that they open their markets more to American exports.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is headed to the United States this week to meet Trump.

China, Pak to look at including Afghanistan in $57 bn economic corridor

China and Pakistan will look at extending their $57 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday, part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road plan linking China with Asia, Europe and beyond.

China has tried to position itself as a helpful party to promote talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both uneasy neighbours ever since Pakistan’s independence in 1947.

Their ties have been poisoned in recent years by Afghan accusations that Pakistan is supporting Taliban insurgents fighting the U.S.-backed Kabul in order to limit the influence of its old rival, India, in Afghanistan.

Pakistan denies that and says it wants to see a peaceful, stable Afghanistan.

Speaking after the first trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Wang said China hoped the economic corridor could benefit the whole region and act as an impetus for development.

Afghanistan has urgent need to develop and improve people’s lives and hopes it can join inter-connectivity initiatives, Wang told reporters, as he announced that Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to mend their strained relations.

“So China and Pakistan are willing to look at with Afghanistan, on the basis of win-win, mutually beneficial principles, using an appropriate means to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan,” he added.

How that could happen needs the three countries to reach a gradual consensus, tackling easier, smaller projects first, Wang said, without giving details.
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'Foreign ministers of China, Pakistan, Afghanistan to hold talks in 2017'

The foreign ministers of China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan will hold their first trilateral talks within this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

Wang made the remarks during a press conference after a meeting with visiting Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said Pakistan and Afghanistan are important countries in the region and he hoped the two nations could work together to safeguard stability in the region.

China attaches great importance to the relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and actively helps the two countries narrow their differences and enhance mutual trust. It is also exploring opportunities to develop cooperation among the three countries, Wang said.

Through consultations, the three countries' Foreign Ministers will hold their first trilateral talks this year, Wang said, adding that they will focus on strategic communication, practical cooperation and security dialogue.

On the anti-terrorism issue, Wang said terrorism is a global problem and all countries should work together to solve it.
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