Foreign Ministers from Japan, China and South Korea held a meeting in Tokyo today to seek common ground on areas like low birth rates, natural disasters and cultural exchanges at a time of growing tensions.
The meeting also focused on plans for a trilateral summit later this year. 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.
In his opening remarks, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and South Korea’s Cho Tae-yul that their cooperation is especially important as the world faces tension and divisions. He said, their cooperation in areas of common challenges will set a good model for global cooperation.
Yesterday, the three foreign ministers met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Mr Ishiba said, cooperation among the three countries will serve their national interest and regional and global peace.
Later in the day, delegations from Japan and China will meet separately to hold their first high-level economic dialogue since April 2019. Foreign Minister of Japan and China will also hold separate bilateral talks with their South Korean counterpart.