Japan to be 'respected guests' at APEC

BEIJING -- Japan should show sincerity and make concrete efforts for trilateral cooperation with China and the Republic of Korea, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

"China attaches importance to tripartite cooperation," spokesman Hong Lei told a regular press briefing. "We are in close communication with the ROK and relevant side."

The spokesman said China hopes Japan will show sincerity and make concrete efforts to create a favorable atmosphere for the sound and steady development of trilateral coordination.

The ROK foreign ministry said Thursday that the country will make efforts to realize a foreign ministers' meeting between China, South Korea and Japan, saying that if the ministerial-level gathering is held, discussions will be made naturally on whether to hold a trilateral summit between the three nations.

His comments came a day after ROK President Park Geun-hye, during a regional summit in Myanmar, expressed the hope to hold a summit with the leaders of China and Japan following a meeting of their foreign ministers in the near future.