Chinese, Japanese, Korea FMs meet on trilateral cooperation

Foreign ministers of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) met Sunday for talks on trilateral cooperation in China’s east coast city of Ningbo.The Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the three nations, chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, was also attended by Yang’s Japanese counterpart Gemba Koichiro and ROK counterpart Kim Sung-Hwan.The ministers “held an in-depth exchange of views on the progress and future direction of the trilateral cooperation, preparations for the Fifth Trilateral Summit Meeting, and regional and international issues of common interest,” according to a press release issued after the meeting. The trilateral summit is expected to be held in Beijing later this year. “We shared the view that, as important countries in Asia and beyond, China, the ROK and Japan need to strengthen cooperation as this helps to advance the social and economic development in our countries and contributes to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world at large,” China’s Yang told reporters after Sunday’s meeting. Yang said the ministers decided to take more concrete and effective measures to further increase political mutual trust, intensify practical cooperation and expand social and cultural exchanges to upgrade the three nations’ “future-oriented comprehensive cooperative partnership.”During the meeting, the ministers also agreed to jointly support the development of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the release. The members of ASEAN are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.“We reaffirmed our commitment to the early signing of a trilateral investment agreement,” said the Chinese foreign minister.