Leaders of Korea, China and Japan met on Monday in Seoul for the trilateral summit, the ninth edition of such a meeting and the first since December 2019. President Yoon Suk Yeol had back-to-back bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the presidential office.
During a bilateral meeting with Li, Yoon discussed ways to promote strategic communication, expand economic cooperation and trade, and exchange opinions on security matters. In his meeting with Kishida, Yoon discussed ways to deepen practical cooperation in various areas.
The trilateral summit discussed ways to promote cooperation in six key areas: economy and trade, sustainable development, health issues, science and technology, disaster and safety management, and people-to-people exchanges.
Korea, China and Japan had agreed to hold a trilateral summit every year starting in 2008 to boost regional cooperation. However, some tensions between them and the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the initiative, marking their last trilateral summit in late 2019. This year’s trilateral summit saw more than 200 business leaders from the three countries agreeing to boost cooperation in trade and supply chains.
Joint statement
The leaders also adopted a joint statement on the outcome of the summit. The joint statement highlighted the importance of trilateral cooperation where the three countries aim to hold the trilateral summit and ministerial meetings on a regular basis. Japan will host the next summit. Moreover, the three countries aim to boost the number of people-to-people exchanges to 40 million by 2030.
In addition, Korea, China and Japan recognized the importance of working together towards carbon neutrality and net zero emissions. Therefore, they pledged to take solid action and support efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature goal. They will also work together on promoting marine conservation, reducing plastic pollution, and controlling illegal fishing.
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Following the trilateral summit, the countries also adopted a joint statement on preventing future pandemics and addressing low birth rates and aging societies. Finally, they reiterated their common interest and responsibility to maintain peace, stability, and prosperity on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
