BUENOS AIRES -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease the trade row between the two leaders' countries, Japanese officials said.
The prime minister held separate talks with the U.S. and Chinese leaders in Buenos Aires on Friday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit of major economies.
Abe also held a trilateral summit meeting with Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first such trilateral talks.
The Abe-Trump meeting lasted about 35 minutes, with Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro; Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko; U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton among those in attendance.
During the meeting, Abe explained to Trump the details of his October visit to China. With the exchange of retaliatory tariffs between the United States and China in mind, the prime minister then called on Trump to respond calmly, according to the officials.
"Japan believes the exchange of restrictive trade measures will not benefit any country," Abe was quoted as saying.
Abe also urged Trump to solve disputes through the World Trade Organization, with the two leaders agreeing to work closely to urge China to play "a constructive role."
At the meeting's outset, Trump emphasized, "We do have a [trade] deficit that is pretty substantial with Japan. We hope that we're going to be balancing it very quickly." With this remark, the U.S. president appeared to call for concrete results from negotiations on a proposed bilateral trade agreement on goods (TAG) slated to start as early as next January.
Regarding Japan's plan to purchase state-of-the-art F-35 stealth fighters from the United States, Trump said, "We appreciate it very much."
The U.S. president revealed that he has been invited to an Imperial event in Japan, saying, "I was very honored to be invited [by] your Emperor." Trump likely referred to the Sokuirei Seiden no Gi ceremony scheduled for next October, where the new Emperor will proclaim his enthronement.
Abe and Trump also agreed that the full implementation of U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea is indispensable to achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders confirmed their countries will cooperate with each other on the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals.
During the meeting between Abe, Trump and Modi, the three leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in such fields as maritime security to realize "a free and open Indo-Pacific," a goal championed by Japan and the United States. The three leaders apparently had China's maritime advance and other issues in mind in forging the agreement.
In his meeting with Xi, Abe told the Chinese president that the U.S.-Chinese trade disputes "benefit no one."
"It is essential for China to take concrete measures" to ease the dispute, Abe emphasized.
Caption
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in Buenos Aires on Friday.
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