(VOVworld) - Japan, China and South Korea held the first ministerial-level meeting on trade on Friday, focusing on ways to promote regional economic cooperation and negotiations for a trilateral free trade agreement.

(Photo: asia.nikkei.com)

Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Motoo Hayashi called for trilateral coordination in liberalizing trade and investment among the three nations and also in the Asia-Pacific region so as to boost their contribution to global economic growth.
Hayashi said Japan would like to continue cooperation with other participating countries to aim for comprehensive and high-level accords for a Japan-China-South Korea FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement.
South Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Yoon Sang Jick, said the 3 Asia’s major economies needed to play a key role in building a common economic community in East Asia. Meanwhile, China’s International Trade Representative, Zhong Shan, stressed that China, Japan and South Korea needed to play greater role in the recovery of the global economy.
The meeting precedes a summit between Japan, China and South Korea on Sunday in Seoul, which will also be the first such gathering in three and a half years.