Premier Li Keqiang attended the 8th China-Japan-Republic of Korea (ROK) leaders' meeting in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, with ROK President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Dec 24.
They exchanged views on trilateral cooperation and regional and international issues.
Premier Li said during the past 20 years, the China-Japan-ROK cooperation has been constantly breaking new grounds. Being significant allies, the three sides are highly complementary in economy and convergent in industry.
The three countries insisted on reaching win-win goals via cooperation and solving discords via dialogues, the Premier noted.
President Xi Jinping put forward a conception of building an open, cooperative, innovative, and shared global economy during the second China International Import Expo, he said, adding that trilateral cooperation is faced with greater challenges ahead, with broad prospects coming forth.
He made the following proposals concerning deepening cooperation among the three countries:
First, to strengthen the foundation of mutual trust and sustain the overall cooperative situation. It is important to view each other’s development objectively and rationally, face up history while embracing future, and respect core interests and main concerns on each part. The countries should resort to dialogue and consultation to fix disagreements, seeking favorable conditions to deepen win-win co-operations.
Second, to enhance top-level design and specify cooperation directions. Strategically, it is necessary to contemplate on development directions and key fields, aiming at long-term cooperation and partnership.
Third, to accelerate free trade negotiations so as to further integrate regional economy. China, Japan and ROK, all supportive roles for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, should actively push forward its signing in 2020. Higher standards in free trade zones, trade, and investment liberalization and facilitation are sought.
Fourth, to promote innovation cooperation and foster new sources of economic growth. Since China, Japan and ROK are all innovation powerhouses who are able to complement each other with advantages, their innovation capability should be further enhanced while sharing innovative achievements with each other.
Fifth, to keep closer people-to-people exchanges to consolidate friendship. Cooperation in sports and Olympic Games and exchanges among the young people should be enhanced among the three countries.
Sixth, to cooperate in environmental protection to promote sustainable development. China, Japan and ROK should strengthen their policy exchanges and pragmatic cooperation in fields such as public health, aging and climate change to increase the peoples’ sense of gain and happiness.
China, Japan and ROK should stick together more tightly to more cooperation, since the international landscape is undergoing profound and complicated changes, Premier Li said. The three countries should carry forward the spirit of solidarity and resolutely support multilateralism and free trade, so as to face the challenges together and make contributions to the regional and even the whole world’s prosperity and stability.
First, we should jointly maintain regional peace and stability. The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace mechanism are conducive to the common interest of the three countries. As a result, we should continue promoting the talks to make new achievements and properly addressing all parties’ reasonable concerns, so as to resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue with political resolutions and maintain regional prolonged stability.
Second, we should jointly practice the new security concept. Based on our common security interests, the new security concept is common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable, thus pursues the overall security of the region. Any strengthened security cooperation between two countries should never be against a third party, neither should it affect the regional stability.
Third, we should jointly stick to openness and inclusiveness. The principle characterized by mutual respect, fairness, justice, and mutual benefit should be upheld to safeguard free trade, promote WTO reform and oppose “decoupling” and segmentation.
Fourth, we should jointly guide the regional cooperation. The three countries should enhance their coordination in regional cooperation and make it focus more on East Asia and development. Also, the three countries should maintain and upgrade the structure of the current regional cooperation in East Asia to make it more in line with requirements of countries concerned.
Moon said over the past 20 years, the three have seen fruitful results in practical cooperation, realized common development and made great contribution to peace and stability of the Northeast Asia.
Against the backdrop of rising trade protectionism and increasing uncertainties, the three nations should work closely to further expand common interest, and carry out cooperation in areas such as dealing with climate change, environmental health and the aging of population, Moon said.
He also called for the three parties to concentrate on cooperation in technology and innovation, strengthen protection of intellectual property rights, and increase people-to-people exchanges, to consolidate the foundation for future cooperation.
He added that ROK is willing to work with all parties to promote denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and maintain peace and stability of the region.
Abe said the three countries have come through an extraordinary journey over the past 20 years. At this new starting point, the three should draw on past experiences, make blueprint for cooperation in the next decade, and build up relations that benefit all sides, he added.
Sharing long-term history of people-to-people exchanges, the three should take the successive hosting of the Olympic Games and the Paralympics as an opportunity, to promote their exchanges and cooperation in sports, tourism and culture, Abe said.
He also called for more cooperation on issues including environmental protection, population aging and marine litter.
Under current circumstances, the Japanese side is devoted to upholding free trade and multilateralism with China and ROK, and maintaining an equal and fair investment and business environment without discrimination.
The meeting issued the Trilateral Cooperation Vision for the Next Decade and the early harvest projects list of the "China-Japan-ROK + X" cooperation.
