China's Wu to meet Japan's Abe in June: Report

Tokyo, May 24: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Hu Jintao will meet on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Germany next month, Kyodo news agency said today.

In their first meeting since November, the two leaders will discuss a range of issues including a dispute over natural resources in the sea that divides their countries, Kyodo said.

They will be hoping to further improve ties that had turned chilly over visits by Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, to a war shrine that many in Asia see as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

Abe moved swiftly to repair the rift after taking office in September last year, making his first overseas trip as prime minister to China and South Korea.

Japan's top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki, said on Thursday that next month's talks were still under negotiation and nothing had been decided.

Reuters>