SEOUL: The top diplomats of Japan, South Korea, and China agreed Sunday to revive cooperation among the three nations and restore trilateral leaders’ summit, however, they did not announce a specific timing.
“We agreed to resume and normalize three-country cooperation at an early date,” South Korean Minister for Foreign Affairs told journalists following his meeting with Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Busan, South Korea.
Park said they affirmed an earlier agreement by lower-level officials to resume the summit “at the earliest reciprocally convenient time” and agreed to accelerate arrangements for the meeting. Kamikawa separately said they agreed to expediate their work to obtain the meeting “at an early and suitable timing.”
Japan, South Korea, China Agree to Resume Trilateral Leaders’ Summit
They agreed to push for cooperation in areas such as trade, people-to-people exchange, public health, technology, sustainable development and security, according to Japanese and South Korean statements. Japanese FM Kamikawa said that a restoration of a trilateral diplomacy “is a significant step toward achieving an upcoming trilateral leaders’ summit.
READ ALSO: “Tears for Gaza” Attracts Crowds in Japan
Japan and South Korea are major U.S. military allies, hosting about 80,000 US personnel on their territories. Some reports suggest that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden struck a conciliatory tone in their first in person meeting earlier this month would provide Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing with diplomatic rooms to move to find means to revive their trilateral cooperation.
The development comes as on Sunday, Japan, South Korea, the US held maritime exercise involving the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula, their recent show of power against North Korea. North Korea views such US involved military training and exercise as an invasion preparation.
