The foreign ministers of China and Japan held talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York as the two Asian rivals seek to ease diplomatic tensions over a bitter territorial dispute and history-related issues.

The bilateral meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida took place on Thursday.

They “exchanged views on the current Sino-Japan relations,” China‘s foreign ministry said in a one-sentence statement, describing the meeting as “informal.”

Relations between China and Japan have always been rocky because of their shared history, but have deteriorated further because of a simmering territorial dispute involving a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

In a sign that the two nations are seeking a thaw in ties, however, senior diplomats from Beijing and Tokyo resumed maritime talks this week in China’s eastern coastal city of Qingdao and agreed to resume maritime liaisons between defense authorities of the two nations. Such talks were last held in May 2012.

China‘s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, gave a positive assessment of the resumption of the maritime talks with Japan, saying this week’s “consultations will contribute to the efforts made by both sides to manage and control maritime frictions and crises.”

However, Hua sidestepped a question about the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping could hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during November‘s APEC summit in Beijing.

Asked about the possibility of a meeting between Xi and Abe, Hua on Thursday reiterated China’s long-held stance on relations with Japan, saying “We believe what is pressing now is that Japan should show sincerity, take concrete actions, and make earnest efforts to remove the political obstacles that are impeding normal development of bilateral ties.”

In New York, Abe renewed his calls for a bilateral summit with Xi. Abe has yet to hold a bilateral summit with Xi since they took office.

(Yonhap)