S. Korea, China, Japan in talks over possible foreign ministers' meeting: official
SEOUL. KAZINFORM South Korea, China and Japan are in talks about holding a meeting of their foreign ministers this month ahead of their possible trilateral summit in China later this year, a Seoul official said Wednesday.
Japanesebroadcaster NHK reported that Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chineseand Japanese counterparts, Wang Yi and Taro Kono, are expected to meet in Chinaon Aug. 21 to discuss joint efforts for North Korea's denuclearization, Yonhap reports.
Thebroadcaster also said that talks have been underway to arrange bilateral talksbetween Kang and Kono, and between Wang and Kono.
«Nothinghas been decided yet, but (the countries) are in consultation over thematter,» the official told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity,referring to the possibility of a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting.«There is, of course, a possibility for such talks, as the ministers havebeen meeting in such a format.»
An officialat the Chinese Embassy in Seoul also said that the three countries arecoordinating over the possible foreign ministers' meeting in China.
«(Thecountries) are coordinating and pushing for a foreign ministers' meeting thismonth,» the official told Yonhap.
Should theymeet, the ministers are expected to discuss Pyongyang's recent series ofshort-range missile launches, including the latest Tuesday, and their impact onthe ongoing efforts for the regime's nuclear disarmament.
They arealso likely to touch on preparations for their countries' possible trilateralsummit. South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday that Seoulis trying to set a schedule for the summit where Beijing is supposed to serveas the rotating chair. The last summit was held in Tokyo in May last year.
Should Kangand Kono meet bilaterally on the sidelines of the three-way meeting, the twosides would discuss Tokyo's recent decision to remove South Korea from the«whitelist» of trusted trade partners, which Seoul criticized asbeing «unilateral and arbitrary.»
South Koreahas been calling for a diplomatic resolution to the escalating diplomatic andtrade row with Japan, arguing that Tokyo's recent export curbs against Seoulare political retaliation for last year's Supreme Court rulings againstJapanese firms over wartime forced labor.
Kang andKono last met on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings, involving theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations, in Bangkok last week.