China, Japan, South Korea seek summit in latest bid to ease relations
By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) -China, Japan and South Korea agreed on Sunday to restart cooperation and pave the way for a summit in the latest move to ease tensions between the Asian neighbours.
Even as China and the United States seek to 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.
Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo had agreed on annual summits from 2008 to bolster diplomatic and economic exchanges, but two-way rows and the COVID pandemic interrupted the plan, with the three leaders last meeting in 2019.
The three foreign ministers met in the South Korean port of Busan for their first such meeting since 2019, after officials of the three countries agreed in September to arrange a trilateral summit at the «earliest convenient time».
The three ministers did not specify a timeframe for the summit.
China's Xi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol may not be able to meet this year, but their summit is likely in the near future, South Korea's national security adviser, Cho Tae-yong, told Yonhap news TV.
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 in a statement.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, who was also concerned about North Korean issues, told his counterparts it was «important to further institutionalise trilateral cooperation so that it will develop into a stable and sustainable system», his ministry said in a statement.
China's Wang Yi said the
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