The third trilateral foreign ministers' meeting of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) was held in Shanghai on September 28, 2009. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi chaired the meeting. Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and ROK Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung Hwan attended the meeting. The ministers reviewed and summarized the progress of trilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of the trilateral cooperation, preparations of the trilateral leaders' meeting and future cooperation among the three countries as well as major regional and international issues of common concern.
The meeting has coincided with the 10th anniversary of trilateral cooperation among China, Japan and the ROK, as world nations are working together to address the global financial crisis and push for the economic recovery. For the last decade, trilateral cooperation has taken on a good momentum of development. The three countries put their good-neighborly friendship at the key position of their own foreign relations. They have maintained high-level exchanges and contacts, increased mutual understanding and political trust and earnestly implemented their cooperative action plan. The three countries have implemented more than 30 cooperative projects, covering politics, economics, environmental protection, science and technology, society, culture and international affairs. The three countries have enriched their partnership and conducted multiple forms of cooperation. The three countries have actively participated in cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, finance and energy security within the frameworks of the ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan and the ROK) and the East Asia Summit and have pushed the construction of a 10+3 regional foreign exchange reserve pool to make major breakthrough, playing a positive role in boosting the confidence of the region and the world at large to cope with the global financial crisis and making active contributions to promoting East Asian cooperation.
Yang said the three countries should carry forward the cause and forge ahead into the future, and continue to jointly push the trilateral partnership to move towards the direction of neighborliness and mutual trust, comprehensive cooperation, mutual benefit and common development. They should build stronger strategic mutual trust, deepen and upgrade cooperation, carry out people-to-people exchanges and promote East Asian cooperation and regional peace and development.
The three ministers said they were satisfied with the trilateral cooperation progress. They held that the three countries should work together to continuously deepen their future-oriented partnership of comprehensive cooperation. The trilateral leaders' meeting will be held on October 10 in Beijing, China. At a critical juncture to deal with the global financial crisis, promote recovery and boost growth, the leaders' meeting will be significant to enhancing political mutual trust, advancing reciprocal cooperation, and promoting Asian stability and development. The three ministers agreed to do a good job in preparing for the leaders' meeting so as to ensure it a success.
The foreign ministers also exchanged views on the situation of the world economy and finance, the northeast Asian situation, East Asian cooperation, climate change, reform of the United Nations, arms control, disarmament, and anti-proliferation.
They agreed to hold the fourth trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in the ROK next year.