TOKYO, Sept 22 — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Chinese President Xi Jinping are planning to hold talks by telephone on Friday, Kyodo News reported, their first discussion since Suga took over as Japan’s leader.

The talks are aimed at further expanding ties between the two countries, Kyodo said on Tuesday, citing multiple unidentified government sources. The leaders are also expected to discuss Xi’s state visit to Japan which was postponed earlier this year due to the coronavirus, the news agency said.

Suga last week became Japan’s first new leader in nearly eight years and has been speaking by phone with world leaders including US President Donald Trump.

He faces a delicate balancing act in keeping Japan’s relations with the United States and China on track as tensions heighten between the two.

Japan and China also have their own tensions over long-time issues including a territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea. — Reuters