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BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Japan on Friday signed a broad range of agreements on strengthening bilateral ties, pledging to step up cooperation in areas from finance and trade to innovation and securities listings, according to a Reuters witness.

The agreements were signed during Shinzo Abe’s visit to Beijing, the first by a Japanese prime minister in seven years, as Asia’s two biggest economies looked to further build relations and trust against a backdrop of trade friction with the United States.