Japan, China, S. Korea Agree To Promote Future-Oriented Cooperation

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, March 22 (KUNA) -- The foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea agreed on Saturday to promote future-oriented cooperation and underlined the importance of trilateral cooperation, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
During their meeting in Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and his Chinese and South Korean counterparts Wang Yi and Cho Tae-yul vowed to accelerate preparation to hold the next trilateral summit at the earliest convenient time, with focusing on the three areas of "knowing each other better," "cooperation to shape and protect the livelihoods," and "joint efforts of all generations to tackle common challenges," the ministry said in a press release.
Iwaya expressed his concern over North Korea's nuclear and missile activities, cryptocurrency thefts and the advancement of the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, according to the ministry.
Japan's top diplomat also pointed out that the denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions is the common goal of the three countries and stated that he would like to closely communicate with them, including the full implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
On Russia's war against Ukraine, Iwaya stressed the importance of staying united in making the case that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force should not be tolerated anywhere in the world.
"It is extremely important to promote future-oriented exchanges and cooperation among the three countries in leading the region and the international community from division to cooperation," Iwaya told a joint press conference after their talks.
He also said they exchanged candid views on cooperation among the three countries and regional international affairs.
For his part, Wang said at a press conference, "Amid the turbulent international situation and the sluggish recovery of the global economy, China, Japan and South Korea have a need and responsibility to further strengthen communication and provide a stable element for regional peace and development."
Wang also said the three countries would continue to communicate on restarting the negotiations on the trilateral free trade agreement, promoting the expansion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and maintaining the stability and smoothness of regional production and supply chains.
South Korea's Cho emphasized significance of Saturday's meeting, saying, "It is timely and meaningful that today's three-way talks are taking place in the context that we maintain the momentum of trilateral cooperation, which was revitalized by last year's summit in Seoul after a 4 1/2 year hiatus."
Cho also said it is important for the three countries to "faithfully carry out UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea and make efforts to stop the North's provocations and bring about its complete denuclearization."
It was the first trilateral foreign ministerial meeting since November 2023, when the ministers met in Busan, South Korea, and a summit last May in Seoul.
In their previous summit, the leaders of the three countries agreed to cooperate in six areas, such as people-to-people exchanges, climate change response, economic cooperation and trade, aging society and digital transformation. (end)
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