ID :
81465
Thu, 09/24/2009 - 11:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/81465
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea, China, Japan to discuss N. Korea, envisioned regional community
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, China, and Japan will discuss ways to
deal with North Korea and build an EU-style regional community when their top
diplomats meet in Shanghai early next week, officials here said Thursday.
Seoul Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, and
Japan's new foreign minister, Katsuya Okada, also plan to prepare for the annual
summit of their leaders to be held in Beijing on Oct. 10, the officials added.
"The annual meeting of South Korean, Chinese, and Japanese foreign ministers is
intended to discuss a broad range of regional and global issues. Therefore, the
North Korean issue will be high on agenda," a South Korean foreign ministry
official said when asked about main topics at the ministerial talks slated for
Monday.
Other issues up for discussion include South Korea's push to host the next Group
of 20 (G-20) financial summit and a plan to create the East Asian Community
(EAC), he added.
South Korea hopes to host the fourth G-20 summit, the date and venue for which
will be decided at the G-20 gathering in Pittsburgh this week.
Japan's new administration has also vowed efforts for closer cooperation with
South Korea and China, providing fresh momentum to the stalled move to create the
EAC, modeled after the European Union. All three sides agree to the need for the
EAC, but related discussions have made little progress due to longstanding
disputes over shared history and territorial boundaries.
"The foreign ministers will discuss the issues in their meeting in Shanghai to
give better understanding to their leaders before their summit in October," the
official said.
The Chinese foreign minister is scheduled to hold a press conference after the
meeting, the official said, adding a formal statement on the outcome was not
expected.
The regional powers launched the trilateral ministerial talks in 2007 and have
since taken turns hosting. The inaugural session took place on South Korea's
resort island of Jeju, and the second one was in Tokyo last year.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, China, and Japan will discuss ways to
deal with North Korea and build an EU-style regional community when their top
diplomats meet in Shanghai early next week, officials here said Thursday.
Seoul Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, and
Japan's new foreign minister, Katsuya Okada, also plan to prepare for the annual
summit of their leaders to be held in Beijing on Oct. 10, the officials added.
"The annual meeting of South Korean, Chinese, and Japanese foreign ministers is
intended to discuss a broad range of regional and global issues. Therefore, the
North Korean issue will be high on agenda," a South Korean foreign ministry
official said when asked about main topics at the ministerial talks slated for
Monday.
Other issues up for discussion include South Korea's push to host the next Group
of 20 (G-20) financial summit and a plan to create the East Asian Community
(EAC), he added.
South Korea hopes to host the fourth G-20 summit, the date and venue for which
will be decided at the G-20 gathering in Pittsburgh this week.
Japan's new administration has also vowed efforts for closer cooperation with
South Korea and China, providing fresh momentum to the stalled move to create the
EAC, modeled after the European Union. All three sides agree to the need for the
EAC, but related discussions have made little progress due to longstanding
disputes over shared history and territorial boundaries.
"The foreign ministers will discuss the issues in their meeting in Shanghai to
give better understanding to their leaders before their summit in October," the
official said.
The Chinese foreign minister is scheduled to hold a press conference after the
meeting, the official said, adding a formal statement on the outcome was not
expected.
The regional powers launched the trilateral ministerial talks in 2007 and have
since taken turns hosting. The inaugural session took place on South Korea's
resort island of Jeju, and the second one was in Tokyo last year.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
