Sino-Japanese summit ruled out

Tokyo 'must show sincerity' to improve strained relations

Beijing ruled out the possibility of an upcoming leaders' summit with Tokyo on Monday, urging the Japanese government to take concrete measures to improve strained ties rather than brandishing "empty slogans".

The message from a government official, who declines to be named, comes after Isao Iijima, a close adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said on Sunday that Abe could hold a summit with President Xi Jinping in the "not-too-distant future".