A senior Japanese official responsible for Asian affairs secretly visited China in mid-July to explore the possibility of arranging a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Xi Jinping later this year on the sidelines of a regional summit, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

The official held talks with Xiong Bo, a deputy director general of the Asian Affairs Department at China's Foreign Ministry, telling him that Abe would like to hold his first formal meeting with Xi at this year's summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, to be held in Beijing in November, according to the sources.

The secret visit took place as contacts between officials of the two countries have become slightly more active in recent weeks, though China has been critical of the Abe government on historical issues.