A joint statement signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin earlier this month avoided wording that could irk Japan, with Beijing asking to remove such reference so as not to damage ties with the neighboring country, diplomatic sources said Sunday.The deletion apparently indicates the Chinese leadership's attempt to stabilize its relations with Japan, a U.S. security ally, amid an intensifying confrontation between Beijing and Washington.In the document endorsed by the two leaders during their summit talks on May 8 in Moscow, China and Russia vowed to…READ FULL ARTICLE
