China, Japan smooth over E China Sea island row

China and Japan have agreed to try to reduce tensions over a disputed chain of islands in the East China Sea.
Beijing officials said a crisis management mechanism had been set up to prevent the situation from worsening.
The strategically important islands, known as Diaoyu by China and Senkaku by Japan, are controlled by Japan.
Meanwhile Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said the ground was being laid for a bilateral meeting between him and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.
"Both Japan and China are coming to the view that it would benefit not just the two countries but regional stability if a summit is held," he said, quoted by Reuters news agency.
The meeting is expected to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, according to a news agency.