FMs vow to advance cooperation

The latest meeting of the foreign ministers of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea has provided a timely and vital platform for the three neighbors to enhance mutual understanding and maintain the good momentum of trilateral cooperation, observers said.

In a period of great upheaval and instability, the importance of their cooperation has been further highlighted, which the observers said will have significant ripple effects and influence worldwide.

The 11th Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting, attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and ROK Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Saturday in Tokyo, was the highest-level communication since the resumption of the trilateral leaders' meeting in Seoul in May last year.

Wang said that facts have proved that the more solid the China-Japan-ROK cooperation is, the stronger the ability of the three countries to withstand risks, the stronger the foundation for empowering development, and the more effective the promotion of mutual understanding and friendship among the people of the three nations.

He called for promoting trilateral cooperation to achieve the effect of"1+1+1>3".

The three countries need to respect one another's core interests, properly manage differences, and continuously build consensus, cultivate momentum and deepen cooperation on the basis of maintaining sound and steady relations, he added.

Wang advocated deepening trilateral economic and trade cooperation, resuming negotiations on a China-Japan-ROK free trade agreement at an early date in order to reach an agreement, and setting up a trilateral dialogue mechanism on export controls.

He also called for promoting scientific and technological innovation to stimulate new drivers for growth, and strengthening trilateral cooperation on areas such as healthy aging, new energy and green development.

Amid what Iwaya described as a "turning point in history", the Japanese foreign minister called for the three countries to overcome division and confrontation through dialogue and cooperation and promote future-oriented exchanges.

ROK Foreign Minister Cho said he believes that through mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, the three neighbors can jointly create a more peaceful and prosperous future.

The three ministers also agreed to make preparations for a leaders' meeting this year.

Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies' Department for Asia-Pacific Studies, said that the foreign ministers' meeting aimed to undertake overall planning and coordination for trilateral cooperation this year, and to inject new political impetus and guidance into trilateral cooperation.

Against the backdrop of current global turbulence, China, Japan and the ROK are sending a strong signal through their cooperation of jointly upholding multilateralism and the international trade system, and expressing their opposition to the unilateralism and protectionism pursued by the United States, Xiang said.

Kumiko Haba, former vice-president of the International Studies Association and distinguished professor at Josai International University, said that to maintain and enhance regional peace and stability, it is essential to peacefully resolve disputes through noninterference in other countries' internal affairs and adopting an approach of setting aside differences.

Based on this foundation, it is necessary for Japan, China and the ROK to promote economic and cultural exchanges, as well as strengthen public diplomacy and cooperation between local governments, she said.

Woo Su-keun, head of the Institute of East Asian Studies of Korea in Seoul, said that it is important for the three countries to jointly create more opportunities for people-to-people exchanges in the areas of culture, art, youth and economic cooperation.

The more frequently that the people of the ROK, China and Japan communicate, "the more they will discover the similarities and closeness inherent in one another, and the closer they will become", Woo said.