Beijing – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Monday to step up cooperation for a “new era” of bilateral relations, showcasing a thaw contrasting sharply with Beijing’s fraught ties with the U.S.

Xi greeted Abe with a smile, and the two leaders shook hands — a far friendlier scene than in 2014, just two years after Japan nationalized the Senkaku Islands, which China claims and calls the Diaoyu. (Nikkei)