China’s Wang Urges Japan, S. Korea to Resolve Bilateral Tensions

August 21, 2019

Beijing- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Taro Kono and Kang Kyung-wha, respectively, on Wednesday to resolve the current tensions between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the three ministers affirmed their countries' close cooperation toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea, at their meeting in a Beijing suburb, which followed North Korea's recent launches of projectiles including short-range ballistic missiles.

As part of the cooperation, the ministers agreed to fully implement related U.N. Security Council resolutions against North Korea, according to Japanese officials.

The foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea last held a three-way meeting in August 2016.

At a joint press conference following Wednesday's meeting, Wang referred to the sour ties between Tokyo and Seoul. He called on both sides to find a solution to their problems while giving due consideration to each other's concerns.

Kono, at the beginning of the three-way meeting, underscored the significance of maintaining trilateral cooperation among Japan, China and South Korea even if bilateral relations between any two of them face difficulties.

The Japanese minister told the subsequent press conference that the three countries should steadily advance their future-oriented practical cooperation.

During the meeting, Kang claimed that any arbitrary measures on export controls should be canceled. She thus criticized Tokyo for its decision on Aug. 2 to remove South Korea from its list of countries entitled to preferential treatment in export controls, although Seoul announced a similar step against Japan on Aug. 12.

In response to Kang's remarks, Kono said that it is not appropriate to take up issues between only two of the three countries at such a three-way meeting.

The South Korean minister reiterated her claim at the press conference later.

Also during the trilateral talks, Kono sought Chinese and South Korean support for Japan's efforts to resolve the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens decades ago.

Kono also asked China and South Korea to lift their restrictions on imports of Japanese food products and called for three-way cooperation to tackle plastic waste at sea.

Wang said China, as chair, aims to host the next summit of the three Asian neighbors by the end of this year. The three ministers agreed to cooperate on the matter.

The three confirmed that their countries will continue working to conclude by the end of this year the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement for free trade, also involving India, Australia, New Zealand and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

They agreed to accelerate negotiations on a Japan-China-South Korea free trade agreement, too. Jiji Press