China nixes economic ministerial meeting with Japan, S. Korea+

HANOI, Oct. 27 Kyodo -
A meeting of economic ministers from China, Japan and South Korea slated to be
held here on Friday has been cancelled over objections by China, Japanese
government sources said Wednesday.
Although Chinese officials did not give a reason for the cancellation, the
Japanese government sources speculated that it may be due to Beijing wanting to
avoid discussions of its rare earth export restrictions.
China was set to be asked at the meeting for an explanation relating to its
conformance with World Trade Organization rules over the issue of Chinese
customs officials' blocking shipments of rare earths to the Japan, the United
States and Europe.
Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akihiro Ohata is slated to arrive
in Hanoi on Thursday for an economic ministerial meeting with the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations.
At Friday's cancelled meeting, Ohata intended to discuss with Chinese Commerce
Minister Chen Deming and South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong Hoon, who will
also be attending the meeting with ASEAN, a trilateral investment pact on which
a final agreement is aimed for by the end of the year.
The cancellation means there will likely be a delay in investment liberalization.
A summit of meeting of leaders of China, Japan and South Korea to be held on
Friday will also be attended by the economic ministers of the three countries,
according to Japanese government sources.
The trilateral economic ministerial meeting has been held in conjunction with
ASEAN meetings since 2002. At last year's meeting in Thailand, the economic and
trade ministers of the three countries agreed to start joint research into the
possibility of forging a trilateral free trade agreement.
In May this year in Seoul, they agreed to accelerate negotiations for a
trilateral investment pact.
==Kyodo