RIO DE JANEIRO (Kyodo) -- Japan and Britain agreed Monday to launch a new framework for dialogue between their economic and foreign ministers to discuss trade, economic security and other shared challenges, amid prospects that their close ally, the United States, will take steps to curb free trade under its next president Donald Trump.

The agreement was reached at a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the margins of the Group of 20 summit in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, the Japanese government said.

The economic version of the "two-plus-two" ministerial framework will be the second for Japan, which uses the same format with the United States.

Under the new consultative framework, Tokyo and London may discuss the push by the incoming U.S. leader to impose higher tariffs on imports. Both Japan and Britain are major exporters to the world's largest economy.

Japan is one of the first members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which came into force after Trump pulled the United States out of earlier negotiations.

Britain is set to accede to the pact in December.

Japan and Britain have also been deepening defense cooperation as they share concerns about the rise of China.

Ishiba and Starmer agreed to "strongly promote" concrete bilateral cooperation in realizing a "free and open" Indo-Pacific, based on the view that the security of Asia is inseparable from that of Europe, according to the Japanese government.

Japan, Britain and Italy are stepping up work on joint development of a next-generation fighter jet. The two leaders also noted Britain's plan to deploy its carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific in 2025 and the countries' agreement enabling Japan's Self-Defense Forces to assist British military assets in noncombat situations.

Ishiba and Starmer discussed the situation in Ukraine and East Asia, and confirmed that they will maintain close coordination, the Japanese government said.

Earlier in the day, Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the G20 fringes, marking what British media said was the countries' first bilateral summit in over six years.

Starmer told Xi that London and Beijing have a shared responsibility to work together in pursuit of global stability, economic cooperation and the clean energy transition, according to his office.

China's official news agency Xinhua said Xi told Starmer that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, and China and Britain "share the responsibilities of advancing their respective national development and addressing global challenges."