Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Saturday called for an early resumption of stalled talks with China toward signing a treaty on a joint gas development project in the East China Sea.
In a meeting in Honolulu, Chinese President Hu Jintao told Noda that Beijing will consider further easing Japanese food imports that were imposed in the wake of a nuclear accident in northeastern Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to a senior Japanese official.
"We would like to make the East China Sea a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship," Noda was quoted as telling Hu. "In this respect, it is very important to resume talks at an early date regarding negotiations on an agreement over the development of natural resources in the East China Sea."