Japan and China to hold talks

The Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, and China's President Jiang Zemin are reported to be meeting after the Apec summit in Shanghai.

The Kyodo news agency said Japanese officials expected the discussions to cover the scaling back of Japanese economic aid to China, environmental measures, and Tokyo's plan to provide logistical military support for the US-led campaign against terrorism.

Earlier this month the Chinese Prime Minister, Zhu Rongji, warned Mr Koizumi that Japan should be prudent about taking on a wider military role, describing the issue as a very delicate one for China.

Japan's relations with its Asian neighbours have been shaken by the Japanese government's refusal to withdraw a textbook that China says white washes Tokyo's wartime record, and Mr Koizumi's visit to a shrine honouring Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service