Promotion of Measures to Resume Korea-China-Japan Economic Cooperation

King Provides Fast-Track Convenience for Foreign Minister, Businesspeople of Both Countries
Motegi Foreign Minister Conveys Concerns on Hong Kong Issue

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The foreign ministers of China and Japan have agreed to pursue ways to resume economic cooperation that was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi (王毅), China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, and Motegi Toshimitsu, Japan's Foreign Minister, agreed during a phone call on the 29th to promptly begin consultations to resume exchanges between the two countries.

In the call, Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated, "Currently, China-Japan relations are maintaining an overall trend of development," and evaluated, "Trade cooperation between the two countries in the first half of the year remained at the same level as the same period last year, which is very valuable."

He expressed the need for cooperation between the two countries after COVID-19 and emphasized the importance of strengthening dialogue and exchanges at all levels.

He also said, "The two countries should activate existing dialogue mechanisms and encourage exchanges among various sectors, industries, and the private sector," adding, "To accelerate personnel exchanges between the two countries, convenience should be provided through a 'fast track'."

It is known that China and Japan are coordinating opinions toward mutually recognizing business-related economic personnel exchanges on the condition of conducting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

He further stated, "We support the World Trade Organization (WTO) and aim to have multilateral frameworks such as ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) + Korea, China, Japan, and the G20 play their roles, and accelerate the China-Japan-Korea Free Trade Agreement."

Regarding this, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Foreign Minister Motegi raised issues concerning maritime areas around the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu Islands in Chinese) and strongly demanded action from the Chinese side.

It is also known that Foreign Minister Motegi conveyed the Japanese government's concerns related to Hong Kong.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.