The leaders of South Korea, Japan and China agreed Saturday to widen cooperation in promoting free trade, fiscal expansion and currency swaps to weather the global economic crisis at an unprecedented trilateral summit, Yonhap News reported quoting South Korea's presidential office.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao also agreed to reinforce tripartite partnership for "regional stability, prosperity and peace," while expressing regrets at North Korea's recent refusal to agree to verification measures for its nuclear program, said the office in a press release.
The meeting in the Japanese city of Fukuoka marked the first three-way summit held separately from multilateral international forums. The three countries used to meet annually on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus Three summit.
"It was a historic meeting, as leaders of South Korea, Japan and China got together at one place within the region for the first time," Lee said in a joint press conference after the summit.
"I found through this summit talks that the three countries share common visions. All problems can be resolved through dialogue. Closer cooperation among the three will enhance the development of the entire world, as well as of the region. Korea's latest currency swap deals with Japan and China also illustrate the importance of regional cooperation."
Lee called for closer tripartite cooperation in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear program through the six-party talks, saying the North's nuclear problem will eventually be resolved, though it may take longer-than-expected time.
Aso and Wen also attached special meaning to the first tripartite summit in their separate remarks at the press conference at the Kyushu National Museum in downtown Fukuoka.
Noting South Korea, Japan and China account for 16.7 percent of the world's gross domestic product, Aso said the three-way summit is a "revolutionary" event that will greatly contribute to the global stability and prosperity.
Ahead of the tripartite summit, Lee met separately with Aso.
Lee and Aso agreed to launch a number of joint peace-building and reconstruction projects in Afghanistan timed with the January inauguration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, who has repeatedly called for greater Asian contributions to the war-torn country, according to spokesman Lee Dong-kwan.
In addition, the two leaders agreed that South Korea and Japan should join forces to further strengthen their manufacturing sectors and avoid mistakes made by troubled U.S. manufacturers, said the spokesman.