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

Seoul, November 26

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.