Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Chinese President Hu Jintao have agreed to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for next week in Hawaii.

In a statement Thursday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said the two leaders made the decision during a short meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the French resort town of Cannes.

The statement said Mr. Noda and Mr. Hu also agreed to make efforts to deepen the mutually beneficial strategic partnership ahead of next year's 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan and China.