Top diplomats of China, Japan, S.Korea seek to boost three-way ties

26/11/2023 18:28

        The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea met in the port city of Busan on Sunday, seeking to restart co-operation among the Asian neighbours and pave the way for a summit of their three leaders.
        
        Even as China and the United States mend frayed ties, including a summit this month of their leaders 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-19 pandemic interrupted the plan, with the three leaders last meeting in 2019.
        
        The three top diplomats met in Busan for their first such meeting since 2019, after officials of the three countries had agreed in September to arrange a trilateral summit at the "earliest convenient time".
        
        South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said he hoped to hold in-depth discussions on North Korean issues, seeking a "practical outcome" on issues such as people-to-people exchanges, climate change and trade and economy.