⁍ Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he had agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping in their first talks.

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⁍ S Suga must manage relations with Japan’s bigger neighbour amid tension between China and the United States.

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⁍ Japan, a close U.S. ally, is also embroiled in a dispute with China over the ownership of islands in the East China Sea.

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– Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday he has agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the need to maintain international stability, Reuters reports. “Stable relations are important not just for our countries but for the region and the international community,” Suga said in comments aired by public broadcaster NHK after he spoke with Xi on the telephone. “I want to fulfill that responsibility.” China and Japan share extensive common interests, Xi said in the first conversation between the two leaders. China hopes both countries will jointly maintain a stable supply chain and fair and open investment environments, China’s state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying. Suga, who became prime minister this month and has little diplomatic experience, must manage relations with Japan’s bigger neighbor as tension between China and the United States increases amid the coronavirus pandemic and lingering trade friction. Suga spoke on the phone to President Trump on Sunday. Japan, a close US ally, is also embroiled in a dispute with China over the ownership of islands in the East China Sea, and is concerned about an uptick in Chinese military activity in the region. A planned state visit by Xi to Japan earlier this year was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.