IF SHAKING HANDS AND TALKING WITH CHINESE President Xi Jinping was all Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wanted, he got it.

Short as it was, the two did talk on Monday.

That at last and at least the meeting happened may mean a lot to many. Everyone concerned about the potential dangers of a China-Japan standoff may now be heaving a sigh of relief. It means a lot to Abe in particular. He desperately needed it to reassure a suspicious audience back home that he has not lost traction yet, at least not completely.