Seoul-Tokyo-Beijing trilateral summit to focus on N. Korea issues
  • 6 years ago
President Moon Jae-in will be flying over to Japan later today.
When he sits down for talks with his counterpart in that country and Beijing's premier.... the recent inter-Korean breakthroughs will likely be the central topic.
The separate one-on-one with Li Keqiang will be closely watched as it comes amid media reports of a possible summit between President Xi and Pyongyang's leader.
Hwang Hojun in Tokyo, starts us off with the upcoming trilateral meeting.
The plan was to hold the summit on an annual basis.
But there was a three-year hiatus... because of a downturn in diplomatic relations... and the political maelstrom in South Korea that accompanied the downfall of the previous administration.
The trilateral summit between South Korea, Japan and China... will finally resume on Wednesday... here in Tokyo, Japan.

The meeting will bring together South Korean President Moon Jae-in, his Japanese counterpart Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the Chinese Premier,... Li Keqiang.
According to the Blue House, the summit will serve as a platform for the three leaders to exchange thoughts on the recent inter-Korean summit... and potential trilateral cooperation on implementing the Panmunjom Declaration and realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"A special statement is expected to be adopted during the South Korea-Japan-China summit endorsing the Panmunjom Declaration and encompassing the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace."

However, the Blue House confirmed on Monday that the statement would not include the phrase "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization" -- so-called CVID.
There's a range of other issues on the summit agenda as well, like cooperation on cybersecurity and even tackling fine dust pollution.
The three leaders are also set to attend a business summit... where they'll encourage their countries to do more business together.
Shortly afterward, President Moon and Prime Minister Abe are expected to hold a separate bilateral summit,... which will then be followed by a luncheon in honor of the visiting Korean leader.
President Moon's one-on-one with Prime Minister Abe will focus more on resuming shuttle diplomacy between Seoul and Tokyo, and developing a future-oriented relationship, especially amid the ever-changing regional dynamics.
President Moon will also hold a separate one-on-one with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

The inter-Korean summit was just the start.
Now, with the Pyongyang-Washington summit looming ahead, President Moon’s role as a negotiator among nations, especially here in the Far East is becoming more and more critical.
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News, Tokyo.
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