Foreign Ministers of South Korea, China and Japan Stress Importance of Dialogues

The diplomatic chiefs of South Korea, China and Japan had a meeting in Beijing on Aug. 21 and reached a consensus that they need to further their cooperation.

There, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi remarked that the three countries should have open dialogues based on trust and cooperation, their conflicts should be addressed constructively, and bilateral disputes should not affect their trilateral cooperation, implying that the ongoing trade disputes between South Korea and Japan should not be further escalated.

At the meeting, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha noted that the three countries have prospered based on free and fair multilateral trade, adding that she is looking forward to more cooperation based on that principle. At the press conference that followed the meeting, she mentioned that what matters is free, fair, transparent and predictable trade environments and the Japanese government must revoke its unilateral and retaliatory trade measures.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono mentioned that each of the bilateral relations of the three countries is the very foundation of their trilateral cooperation and the cooperation should not stop despite the current difficulties concerning the relations. The South Korean and Japanese ministers had a bilateral meeting after the meeting with their Chinese counterpart.