TOKYO, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- China and Japan announced Friday they had reached a four-part agreement to move forward with diplomatic and security talks after two years of strained relations.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Japanese National Security Adviser Shotaro Yachi hashed out the four-part agreement during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. The two countries said they had agreed to overcome "political obstacles" with the hope of "facing history squarely and looking forward to the future."


The Chinese Foreign Ministry laid out the four points agreed to on Friday.

"First, the two sides have affirmed that they will follow the principles and spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan and continue to develop the China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit. RELATED Current state of U.S.-China relations "Second, in the spirit of 'facing history squarely and looking forward to the future,' the two sides have reached some agreement on overcoming political obstacles in the bilateral relations. "Third, the two sides have acknowledged that different positions exist between them regarding the tensions which have emerged in recent years over the Diaoyu Islands and some waters in the East China Sea, and agreed to prevent the situation from aggravating through dialogue and consultation and establish crisis management mechanisms to avoid contingencies. "Fourth, the two sides have agreed to gradually resume political, diplomatic and security dialogue through various multilateral and bilateral channels and to make efforts to build political mutual trust."

"The four-point consensus basically sets up a platform for the two leaders to meet next week" at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing, said Zhu Feng, a professor of international relations at Peking University.

"A bilateral meeting would be a useful, positive gesture -- it would remove certain diplomatic barriers and provide a platform for future talks."

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