New Japanese PM Shinzo Abe meets Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

(8 Oct 2006) SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot of plane taxiing
2. Close-up tail section of plane with Japanese flag symbol
4. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe coming out of plane and descending stairs
5. Various of Abe greeting ministers
6. Abe getting into car
7. Car leaving
8. Zoom out to wide shot of Great Hall of the People
9. Close-up of Japanese flag
11. Chinese guards of honour
11. Abe getting out of car
12. Guards holding Chinese flag
13. Abe and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao walking the red carpet up to pavilion
14. Pan of ceremony
16. Abe and Wen inspecting the guards
17. Guards marching
18. Leaders and delegation ascending stairs into the Hall
19. Wide shot of meeting between Wen and Abe
20. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister:
"Thank you for making time in your busy schedule in order to meet with us."
21. Cutaway of Chinese and Japanese flags
22. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Wen Jiabao, Chinese Premier:
"To develop our friendly cooperative relations serves the basic interests of our peoples. We should continue to move forward with friendly and cooperative relations between China and Japan."
23. Wide shot of meeting
STORYLINE
Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in China on Sunday on a visit aimed at mending tattered ties between the Asian giants, and to discuss North Korea's threats to conduct a nuclear test, a move which Beijing and Tokyo have warned would have serious repercussions.
After arriving at Beijing airport, Abe was greeted by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the Great Hall of the People.
The leaders inspected Chinese national guards and later entered the hall for talks.
During the meeting, Abe thanked Wen for "making time in your busy schedule in order to meet with us."
Wen told Abe that developing bilateral cooperation would serve "the basic interests of our peoples".
"We should continue to move forward with friendly and cooperative relations between China and Japan," Wen said.
Abe, elected prime minister just two weeks ago, put the visit to China at the top of his diplomatic agenda because of a deepening rift over former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a Tokyo war shrine and festering territorial disputes.
After meeting Chinese leaders, Abe is scheduled to fly to South Korea for similar talks on Monday.
It will be the first summit between Japan and China since Koizumi met Jiang Zemin in October 2001 and the first full-fledged state visit, with a formal welcoming ceremony, since 1999.
Japan's last summit with South Korea was in June last year.
Japanese officials said the hastily arranged visits are aimed not so much at making specific agreements but at simply increasing trust.
Indeed, Abe appeared to have little to offer his hosts; he has vowed not to say one way or the other if he will pay homage at the Yasukuni war shrine and is not expected to make any concessions on Tokyo's long-standing territorial claims.
North Korea's threats to conduct a nuclear test, meanwhile, have added a new dimension to the visit.
North Korea said through its state media that it will conduct a test, but did not specify when.
The North claims to have nuclear weapons, but hasn't performed any known test to prove it.
Six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions have been stalled for almost a year, and North Korea says it needs an atomic arsenal to deter a possible attack from the United States.
China, the North's most important ally, and Japan are both members of the six-way talks.

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