China, Japan, S Korea agree to boost trilateral ties, ease tension

Seoul, November 26

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The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea agreed on Sunday to restart cooperation among the Asian neighbours and pave the way for a summit of their three leaders in the latest move to ease tensions in the vital region.

Even as China and the US mend frayed ties, including a summit this month between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, Beijing is concerned that Washington and its key regional allies are strengthening their three-way partnership.

The three ministers did not specify a timeframe for the trilateral summit.

The ministers agreed in their 100-minute talks to advance cooperation in six areas, including security, economy and technology, and promote concrete discussions to prepare for the summit, Japan’s foreign ministry said. — Reuters

Pandemic interrupted previous meets

Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo had agreed on annual summits from 2008 to bolster diplomatic and economic exchanges, but two-way rows and the pandemic interrupted the plan, with the three leaders last meeting in 2019.