Beijing, Safar 1, 1433, Dec 26, 2011, SPA - Chinese and Japanese leaders have agreed to bolster bilateral ties and cooperation. Both countries are united in their belief that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is in the interest of all of its neighbors, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told the Kyodo News agency in Beijing, where he met Monday with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Noda was seeking to persuade China, which is North Korea's only major ally, to push Pyongyang to resume six-nation talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programme, Kyodo said, citing members of Noda's delegation. "Strengthening relations between the two countries is indispensable to solve regional and global issues," Noda was quoted as saying before his meeting with Hu. During his two-day trip to Beijing, which ended Monday, Noda and Chinese leaders agreed to begin talks on a free trade agreement early next year with South Korea. --SPA 11:21 LOCAL TIME 08:21 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/955926