China, Japan leaders in ice-breaking talks at Apec summit

The leaders of China and Japan have met for formal talks after more than two years of severe tension over a territorial dispute.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit in Beijing.

The talks are the first between the two leaders. Abe said it was the first step to "improving ties". Today's face-to-face meeting signals important progress in relations between the world's second and third largest economies

Relations have been soured by the row over islands in the East China Sea, controlled by Japan and escalated a dispute that has lasted years after Tokyo's decision to purchase three of them from their private Japanese owner in September 2012.

China has complained about what it sees as Japan's failure to adequately acknowledge its war-time actions and has been angered by visits by Japanese lawmakers - including the PM - to a shrine that commemorates Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals.

The meeting came with leaders from the 21 Apec member-nations in the Chinese capital for two days of talks.

Bilateral meetings between top leaders are taking place today, followed by a formal leaders' summit on Tuesday.