- Japan, South Korea, China Trilateral Cooperation Talks End with Calls to Revive Trade, Security Dialogues
- Leaders of Japan, South Korea, China meet in South Korea to bolster economic, diplomatic cooperation, regional peace
- China opposes turning economic and trade issues into “political games or security matters
By: Muhammad arif
Beijing: Leaders of Japan, South Korea, China gathered on Monday at trilateral cooperation talks in Seoul to discuss ways to bolster economic, diplomatic cooperation, regional peace and prosperity, human dignity, and the rule -based international order.
Chinese Premier Li, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Seoul to find diplomatic mechanisms aimed to revitalise three-way diplomacy, ease regional tensions, and to enhance “mutual respect and trust” in the East Asia, a region grappled with geopolitical tensions.
Speaking at the summit, PM Li stressed on “openness and inclusivity” to foster cooperation, besides calling for enhancing “mutual respect and trust” to promote “full resumption” of trilateral cooperation.
“We should resolve suspicions and misunderstandings through honest dialogue, uphold bilateral relations with a spirit of strategic autonomy, promote a multipolar world, and oppose bloc confrontation and factionalism,” Li added.
In the meeting, China urged Japan and South Korea to reject “protectionism” and uphold free trade as the countries met in a trilateral summit in Seoul.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said he opposed turning economic and trade issues into “political games or security matters,” Chinese state media reported, as he met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Japanese PM, Kishida, in his remarks said Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing “must aim at a future in which all nations enjoy peace, prosperity, and human dignity under a free and open international order based on the rule of law.”
“We will advance our efforts to develop our trilateral cooperation in a manner that responds to the issues of the day,” the Japanese prime minister further added.
This trilateral summit also marked the 25th anniversary of the China-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation mechanism.
Three countries, China, Japan, and South Korea agreed to designate the year 2025 and 2026 as the China-Japan-South Korea Cultural Exchange Year.
The trilateral cooperation talks concluded with a joint statement reaffirming that maintaining peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia “serves our common interest and is our common responsibility.”
Overall, the Seoul trilateral talks deliberated upon six specific areas, including economy and trade, sustainable development, health issues, science and technology, disaster and safety management, and people-to-people exchanges.
The China–Japan–South Korea trilateral summit is an annual summit-level meeting attended by the People’s Republic of China, Japan and South Korea, three heavy-weight economic power of Asia. The first summit was held during December 2008 in Fukuoka, Japan.
