Japan China and South Korea discuss trilateral cooperation

TOKYO (AP) — Foreign ministers from Japan, China and South Korea reaffirmed the importance of denuclearization on the Korean peninsula and sought common ground in areas like aging, low birth rates, natural disasters and cultural exchange at a meeting that took place at a time of growing tensions.

At a joint news conference after the talks, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said he, his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and South Korea's Cho Tae-yul agreed on the need to promote mutual understanding and tackle shared, multi-generational concerns to gain wider support for trilateral cooperation.

Iwaya emphasized his concerns about North Korea' s nuclear and missile development and cooperation with Russia as regional threats, and stressed the importance of pursuing the North's full denuclearization under the U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Iwaya reiterated Japan's condemnation of Russia's war on Ukraine, adding that there is no place in the world for unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, a subtle message about China's growing assertiveness in the region.

Wang said that China supports the formation of a mutual regional economy and proposed further efforts toward achieving an economic framework for the three countries. He said trilateral cooperation in a range of areas including technology, climate exchange and other issues will “serve as key driving force for East Asian cooperation.”

The meeting on Saturday focuses on plans for a trilateral leaders' summit later this year amid growing political and economic uncertainty at home and challenges from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The three-way meetings are an accomplishment for Japan, which has historical and territorial disputes with both China and South Korea. An earlier trilateral meeting was held in South Korea last year.

Cho, whose country chaired their leaders’ first summit after a four-and-half-year hiatus due to the pandemic, said the ongoing global crisis makes the trilateral cooperation more important than ever and it is important to maintain their positive flow.

He said that their cooperation is especially important as the world faces tension and divisions, and that their cooperation in areas of common challenges will set a good model for global cooperation.

Later Saturday, delegations from Japan and China were to meet separately to hold their first high-level economic dialogue since April 2019. Iwaya and Wang will also hold separate bilateral talks with Cho.

U.S. allies Japan and South Korea have rapidly improved ties, as they share mutual concerns over China’s growing threat in the region.

Tokyo and Beijing agreed in December to improve ties in spite of their differences, including disputes over a group of uninhabited islands that both claim, as well as China's territorial disputes with other countries in the South China Sea.