Senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, China and the Republic of Korea held consultations in Seoul, and they agreed to hold a trilateral summit meeting as soon as possible, which has not been held for four years. According to the ROK media, coordination is underway to hold a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in November prior to the summit.
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Funakoshi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China
, Assistant Minister
of Agriculture and Integration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China attended Japan the consultation on the
26th.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, which holds the presidency, the two sides agreed to hold a trilateral summit meeting as soon as possible, which has not been held for four years.
According to the Korean media, coordination is underway to hold a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Busan in southeastern Korea in November this year.
In addition, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, at the consultation on the 4th, the ROK side indicated to Japan and China that it would like to strengthen cooperation in areas such as security and the economy and promote results, but the discharge of treated water from TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean was not on the agenda.
The Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) intends to continue consultations with the aim of holding a summit meeting by the end of this year.
Foreign Minister Kamikawa: "The three countries will thoroughly consider the matter"
At a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister Kamikawa stated, "It is very meaningful for the three countries, Japan, China, and the ROK, which share a major responsibility for regional peace and prosperity, to discuss the ideal form of cooperation and various regional issues."
On that basis, regarding the resumption of the trilateral summit meeting, he stated, "The three countries agree on the necessity of resuming the Trilateral Process at an early date, and we will continue to thoroughly consider the three countries."
What is the aim of the Japan?
The Japan government would like China to promptly revoke its ban on imports of Japan fishery products.
On the other hand, my honest intention is to avoid a decisive confrontation with China.
This is because China is its largest trading partner, with active people-to-people exchanges and strong economic ties.
For this reason, I intend to take advantage of the opportunity of the meeting between the leaders and foreign ministers of the three countries to continue tenacious dialogue with China.
He also hopes to discuss regional security issues such as North Korea's nuclear and missile development and the proximity between Russia and North Korea, involving China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry "Trilateral cooperation is in common interest"
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference on March 3, "Cooperation among the three countries is a common interest, and we agreed to work hand in hand to strengthen practical cooperation in areas such as economy and trade and make new contributions to the peace, stability, and prosperity of the region."
He then explained, "We agreed to hold a foreign ministers' meeting of the three countries in the coming months and to continue communication in order to hold a summit meeting as soon as possible."