China, Japan agree to bolster economic ties

Fiscal cooperation essential to ward off threats from unilateralism and protectionism

China and Japan agreed on Friday to step up financial cooperation amid rising economic headwinds and market vulnerabilities due to trade friction from US President Donald Trump's protectionist measures, top officials from both sides said.

As the top two Asian economies, "China and Japan have agreed to deepen regional fiscal and financial cooperation and maintain economic and financial stability" as they face growing threats from unilateralism and protectionism, Minister of Finance Liu Kun said at a news briefing in Beijing after the seventh China-Japan finance ministers' dialogue.