Busan, South Korea, November 11 (Reporter Liu Xu) On November 26, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the 26th China-Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers' Meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Uekawa in Busan, South Korea.
Wang Yi said that China-Japan-ROK cooperation has become a multilateral cooperation framework with the highest degree of institutionalization, the widest coverage and the richest connotation in East Asia, effectively serving the development of the three countries and benefiting the people of the region. The development of China-Japan-ROK cooperation shows that the trilateral cooperation has a solid foundation, strong demand, great potential and broad prospects. In the face of the accelerated evolution of the changes in a century and the slow recovery of the world economy, China, Japan and the ROK should take a more enterprising attitude and play an active role in promoting regional and global development. China will continue to work with the ROK and Japan to bring trilateral cooperation back on track, maintain healthy, stable and sustainable development, and make new contributions to regional and world peace and prosperity in line with the principle of goodwill and partnership with neighbors.
Wang Yi pointed out that at the time of regrouping and starting again, it is necessary to review the history and achievements of China-Japan-ROK cooperation, stick to the original aspiration, anchor the direction, and adhere to the implementation of the leaders' consensus such as the "China-Japan-ROK Cooperation Outlook for the Next Ten Years". The most important thing is to continue to face history squarely and face the future, respect each other's development paths and core interests, properly handle sensitive issues, maintain good bilateral relations, and lay a solid foundation for the comprehensive resumption and steady and long-term development of trilateral cooperation. Looking at the long term, we must also combine the new situation, new pattern and new environment to give cooperation new connotations, new missions and new starting points.
Wang Yi stressed that the three countries should adhere to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win results, resume negotiations on the China-Japan-ROK FTA as soon as possible, maintain the momentum of regional economic integration, improve multi-channel and multi-level regional FTAs, and contribute to the common goal of moving towards the FTAAP. It is necessary to persist in deepening scientific and technological innovation, strengthen cooperation in cutting-edge scientific and technological fields such as big data, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, jointly maintain the stability and smoothness of the production and supply chain, optimize and upgrade, and enhance the resilience of regional production networks. It is necessary to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning, expand the scale of people-to-people exchanges, increase the facilitation of people-to-people exchanges, and enhance the understanding and friendship between the people of the three countries, especially the young people. It is necessary to strengthen the resilience of development, increase exchanges and cooperation in areas such as addressing aging, and work together to address climate change and create new growth points. We will continue to promote common development, and continue to build more "China-Japan-ROK+X" cooperation projects with neighboring countries and regions in need based on the principles of voluntariness, equality, openness, win-win, transparency and sustainability, so as to promote common and sustainable development in the region and beyond.
Park Jin and Yoko Kamikawa spoke positively of the progress made in China-Japan-ROK cooperation, saying that the three countries are neighbors that cannot be moved, and that trilateral cooperation is of great significance and great potential. In the face of the new situation, the three countries should revisit the original intention of cooperation, strengthen communication and exchanges, promote cooperation in various fields, and bring more tangible results to the people of the three countries. The three sides can carry out future-oriented substantive cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, digital transformation, people-to-people exchanges, environmental protection, and ageing, and continuously expand common interests. China-Japan-ROK cooperation can go beyond Northeast Asia and play a positive role in peace and prosperity in the region and the world. Actively promote "China-Japan-ROK+X" cooperation with an open attitude to benefit more countries and regions.
The three sides agreed to create conditions for the China-Japan-ROK summit and step up relevant preparatory work.
The three sides exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. Wang Yi pointed out that China, Japan and the ROK, as important countries in the Asia-Pacific region, should base themselves on the peaceful development of the Asia-Pacific region and the interests of the people in the region, deepen regional cooperation, jointly respond to risks and challenges, and maintain regional peace and prosperity in the face of the international situation in which the changes and chaos are intertwined. It is necessary to be the "bellwether" of East Asian cooperation, promote East Asian cooperation through trilateral cooperation, adhere to open regionalism, oppose ideological demarcation, and resist the camping of regional cooperation. It is necessary to act as a "stabilizer" for maintaining regional peace and security, practice the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and persist in resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation and peaceful means. It is necessary to be a good "pressure reducing valve" to solve hot problems. Continued tensions on the Korean peninsula are not in the interest of either side, and it is imperative to de-escalate the situation and create the necessary conditions for the resumption of dialogue, and to take meaningful action to that end.
During the meeting, Wang Yi also held bilateral meetings with ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa. (ENDS)