Seminar held to welcome upcoming China, Japan, ROK summit meeting

BEIJING - China, Japan and the Republic of Korea will hold their sixth trilateral summit later this week in Seoul. Experts, scholars and media representatives from the three countries have gathered in Beijing to discuss mutual understanding and cooperation among them.

The seminar comes immediately after the annual Beijing-Tokyo Forum in Beijing. It paves the way for the trilateral summit this week, and is part of efforts to put relations back on track, and open a new prospect.

Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister said:"In our long history of communication, we had many twists and turns, and even profound lessons, but in general, friendship and cooperation are still the common goal of people of the three nations."

Wang Yi says productive results from the summit meeting calls for the right attitude toward history. Political mutual trust is the foundation, and trilateral cooperation is the impetus for the development of the region. Seminar participants say despite differences, they are optimistic about the first summit in three years.

Yuji Miyamoto, Former Japanese Ambassador to China said:"After the meeting, I am quite sure the interaction will come, which means we can achieve many things on the table. The most important aspect of the meeting is meeting itself."

Others say the summit will also be an opportunity to realize the free trade agreement signed by the three sides in June. This is significant given the global economic downturn.

"The three countries could pay more attention to this important FTA, and there are many kinds of detailed kinds of things in negotiation, but I think we need a political kind of will from the three governments," said Shin Bongkil, President of ROK Institute of Foreign Affairs & National Security.

During the seminar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang was asked about a US naval vessel sailing close to China's islands in the South China Sea. He said if it is true, the US side should think twice, and not make trouble.

A better relationship among the three countries is an important driver of regional peace and cooperation. This requires sincere dialogue if it's to bring real benefits to their peoples, and beyond.