Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul in an effort to revive trilateral free trade agreement talks that have been stalled since 2019.
In the opening session of the conference, Li Qiang said the meeting was "both a beginning and a new beginning," and called for a comprehensive resumption of cooperation among East Asian economic powers.
"For China, South Korea and Japan, our close ties will not change, the spirit of cooperation achieved through crisis response will not change, and our mission of safeguarding regional peace and stability will not change," Li said. "We need to promote multipolarity in the world and oppose the formation of blocs or factions."
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives for a trilateral summit with his South Korean and Chinese counterparts in Seoul, South Korea, May 26. Photo: Reuters
Enhance cooperation
Following the meeting, the three countries issued a joint statement calling for formalizing regular communication at the highest level and cooperation on climate change, conservation, health, trade and international peace, among other areas.
On North Korea, Mr. Yoon and Mr. Kishida called on Pyongyang not to carry out a planned rocket launch carrying a space satellite believed to use ballistic missile technology banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.
However, North Korea then launched a satellite on May 27 but the launch failed. Mr. Li Qiang called on all parties to exercise restraint and prevent the situation on the Korean Peninsula from becoming more complicated.
Trade relations
The leaders agreed to build a transparent trade and supply chain environment, Yoon said. The leaders also attended a forum with top business executives from the three countries. They noted that cooperation has not reached its potential due to global challenges, but agreed that the industry will work together to support trade and stabilize supply chains.
At the trilateral talks in November 2019, the three countries agreed to liberalize at a higher level than the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement of which all three countries are members, covering areas ranging from trade in goods and services to investment, customs, competition and e-commerce.
Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thu-tuong-trung-quoc-ca-ngoi-su-khoi-dau-moi-voi-han-quoc-va-nhat-ban-post297123.html
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