Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and China's President Xi Jinping, prepare to shake hands during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People.

China's President Xi Jinping, right, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approach each other, stern-faced, to shake hands in front of cameras,

Although staged for cameras, the handshake between China's President Xi Jinping, right, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lacked customary trappings such as the national flags displayed in the background when other leaders met.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and China's President Xi Jinping, right, face the cameras in an awkward first gesture toward easing two years of high tensions.