The leaders of South Korea, China and Japan met today in Seoul for their first trilateral summit in nearly five years, hours after Pyongyang announced its intention to launch a new spy satellite, reported AFP and Reuters, quoted by BTA.
"Any launch using ballistic missile technology would violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions and undermine regional and global peace and stability," South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in his speech at the opening of the meeting. before holding talks with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.
In response, Li Qiang called on South Korea and Japan to reject any "protectionism" and secession from China, Chinese state media reported. Economic and trade issues should not become political games or security issues, he added, quoted by Xinhua.
Earlier, Li Qiang said in a bilateral meeting with Kishida that Beijing is willing to work with Tokyo to continue friendly exchanges between the two countries in various fields, through various channels and at various levels. He added that the two countries should work together to maintain a stable and smooth industrial supply chain and the global free trade system, and the development of each is important to the other, Reuters reported, citing a statement from China's foreign ministry.
Li also reiterated that the Taiwan issue is "the core of China's vital interests", and expressed hope that Japan will "fulfill its promises and create a positive atmosphere for the continuous development of relations.