South Korea, China, Japan to hold trilateral talks from 2019

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet in Seoul next Monday, according to Kim Tae-hyo, Seoul's deputy national security director. Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the meeting.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang listen at the ASEAN+3 Summit in Cambodia, November 12, 2022. Photo: AP

Mr. Lee and Mr. Kishida are expected to arrive in South Korea on Sunday, and will have a private meeting with Yoon in the afternoon of the same day before attending a welcome dinner with the South Korean President.

“This summit will be a turning point for South Korea, Japan and China to fully restore and normalize the trilateral cooperation system,” Kim Tae-hyo said.

The three leaders are expected to discuss cooperation on six topics proposed by South Korea, including people-to-people exchanges, climate change, trade, health and aging population, technology and disasters. These discussions will be included in a joint statement after the summit.

The three leaders will also discuss regional and international political issues and how to deal with global crises. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stressed the importance of the meeting for regional peace and prosperity.

The meeting comes amid tense relations between the three countries. South Korea and Japan are close allies of the United States, while China is a strategic competitor of the United States.

However, all three countries share a common interest in improving relations. South Korea and Japan want to maintain good relations with China, their largest trading partner, while Beijing also wants to avoid increased security cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington.

Thu Giang (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/han-quoc-trung-quoc-va-nhat-ban-sap-lan-dau-dam-phan-ba-ben-ke-tu-nam-2019-post296727.html