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Chinese President Xi Jinping told Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba he hoped Japan would “properly” handle issues such as history and Taiwan after Tokyo expressed concerns over “increasingly aggressive military maneuvers » from Beijing.

Leaders of two rival nations met for the first time Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum summit in Lima, Peru.

China’s Xi said Beijing was willing to work with Tokyo to establish a “constructive and stable” relationship and that the two Asian countries should be “partners, not threats.”

In recent months, Chinese and Japanese officials have decided to resume several consultative negotiations for the first time in years, signaling a possible stabilization of difficult relations.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Xi reiterated the need for Japan to “face its history” and sensitively address sensitive issues such as Taiwan.

China, which considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, regularly conducts exercises around the island. Although a full-scale invasion of Taiwan is unlikely, China has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control.

Mr Ishiba reportedly expressed “serious concerns” about Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, as well as the human rights situation in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. He said “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are extremely important to Japan and the international community.”

Mr Ishiba told the Chinese leader he wanted to build a “constructive and stable” relationship, but asked him to reverse the ban on imports of Japanese seafood and strengthen security measures for nationals. Japanese in China following a knife attack.

China banned seafood imports from Japan last year due to the release of radioactive water treated by the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in September that the two sides had reached “a certain level of mutual understanding” and that China would begin working to ease the import ban.

According to a Japanese account of the meeting, Mr. Ishiba asked Mr. Xi to release Japanese nationals detained in China.

China and Japan have been at odds in recent years over issues including territorial claims, trade tensions and Beijing’s anger over Tokyo’s decision to discharge treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea , paralyzed, which triggered the seafood ban.