BEIJING/TOKYO, (Reuters) – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishhida stated on Friday that he has reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on how to cooperate on matters of mutual concern.

After speaking with Xi over the phone, Kishida stated that he had raised concerns from both sides and suggested they should keep in dialogue.

Kishida stated that the issues he raised were the disputed islands, which are also known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. He also mentioned Hong Kong’s and Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs living in Xinjiang. The details of what he said were not disclosed by him.

“Xi, I and others agreed to cooperate on many shared issues including North Korea,” Kishida (a former foreign minister) also spoke about the 30-minute talks.

Official People’s Daily from the Chinese Communist Party stated that Xi said to Kishida during their conversation, “appropriately” about sensitive topics such as Taiwan.

Kishida’s new government signalled Tuesday that it would be more assertive in its stance against China’s self-rule Taiwan position. It suggested Tokyo would plan for “various scenarios”, and reaffirmed its security ties to the United States.

Tension has been growing over Taiwan. China regards Taiwan as their territory. China may use force to take Taiwan. Taiwan claims it is independent and will protect its democracy and freedoms.

According to Kishida, Xi said that “At the moment, China-Japan Relations have both Opportunities and Challenges.”

The People’s Daily reports that Xi said to Kishida, “China and Japan must actively reinforce their dialogue and economic coordination and foster regional cooperation.”