Joint Press Statement of the Seventh Summit Meeting among the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, January 14, 2007

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1. The Seventh Summit Meeting among the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) was held in Cebu, the Philippines on 14 January 2007 with the attendance of H.E. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of China, H.E. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan and H.E. Roh Moo-hyun, President of ROK. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of China.

2. The three leaders expressed satisfaction with the recent development of relations among the three countries and shared the view that, as important countries in Asia, China, Japan and ROK shoulder great responsibilities in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in Asia. They also believed that the strengthening of future-oriented trilateral cooperation among the three countries both serves the fundamental and long-term interests of the peoples of the three countries, and is of great significance for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia. The leaders agreed, acting in the interests of overall stability and development of the region, to enhance political trust on the basis of mutual respect and understanding. As the important measures for further building confidence among the three countries, the leaders agreed to have more frequent exchanges and decided to set up a trilateral consultation mechanism at the level of senior foreign affairs officials to conduct close communication and coordination on major political and diplomatic issues involving the three countries as well as international and regional issues. The first round of trilateral senior foreign affairs officials' consultation will be held by China this year.

3. The leaders endorsed the 2005-2006 Progress Report of the Trilateral Cooperation among the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea and expressed satisfaction with the significant progress made in various areas, especially in the five priority areas of economy and trade, ICT industry, environmental protection, human resources development and culture. They agreed that the three countries should build on the current new momentum of growth in their relations to further promote and enrich trilateral cooperation based on the Joint Declaration on the Promotion of Tripartite Cooperation among the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea and the Action Strategy on Trilateral Cooperation among the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. To this end, the leaders decided to add six new priority areas, namely finance, science and technology, logistics, public health, tourism and youth exchange to their cooperation.

4. To further promote the trilateral cooperation in economy and trade, the leaders took note of the progress and looked forward to more positive results of the joint research on trilateral FTA by the three representative research institutes of the three countries with the possible participation of government officials as observers. They agreed to start negotiations on trilateral investment agreement as soon as possible in 2007. The three parties will continue their effort to improve the business environment in their respective countries. The leaders agreed to promote the creation of a secure, efficient, cost-effective and seamless logistics system among the three countries. The leaders expressed their readiness to jointly work towards early and successful conclusion of the WTO DDA negotiations.

5.The leaders agreed to enhance further cooperation in the environmental field by tackling issues such as Dust and Sandstorm (DSS), marine litter and illegal trans-boundary movement of toxic and hazardous waste, and to intensify their cooperation within the existing bilateral, regional and multilateral frameworks. They noted that dust and sandstorm along with the other issues in Northeast Asia was posing common concern for countries in this region and agreed to work together to reduce the damage caused by these regional environmental issues. To this end, they agreed to further explore concrete measures through the existing frameworks, especially in the Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM).

6. With a view to enhancing socio-cultural cooperation, the leaders welcomed China's proposal to designate the year 2007 as the Year of Cultural Exchange among China, Japan and ROK. The leaders shared the view that such an idea will enhance mutual understanding and friendship among the peoples of the three countries. China proposed to host the 9th Asian Arts Festival in 2007 which will focus on the cultures of the three countries. Japan and ROK welcomed and supported China's proposal.

7. The leaders shared the common understanding on the importance of energy security in Northeast Asia and agreed to further promote energy dialogue among the three countries.

8.The leaders agreed to enhance close cooperation on countermeasures in crime areas where trilateral cooperation is necessary, by strengthening cooperation for investigations and coordination.

9. The leaders agreed that trilateral cooperation among China, Japan and ROK is an important part of East Asia cooperation. Such trilateral cooperation enriches East Asia cooperation, enhances institutional building in this regard, and plays an active role in promoting the ASEAN Plus One (10+1), the ASEAN Plus Three (10+3), the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the building of an East Asian community. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the enhancement of cooperation with ASEAN, the promotion of East Asia cooperation and their respect to the leading role of ASEAN in East Asia cooperation. They shared the view to realize an East Asian community as a long-term goal with ASEAN Plus Three (10+3) process as the main vehicle. They reaffirmed that the East Asia Summit (EAS) could play a significant role in community building in this region. They also pledged to continue their work towards a dynamic and harmonious Asia-Pacific community in the APEC.

10. The leaders expressed their concern about the situation caused by the DPRK's recent missile launches and the nuclear test. They also reaffirmed the need for full implementation of the UNSC Resolutions 1695 and 1718 by all UN Member States as well as their commitment to the peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and negotiation. The leaders called for concrete and effective steps toward the full implementation of the 9.19 Joint Statement and the denuclearization of the Peninsula. They also emphasized the importance of addressing the issue of humanitarian concerns of the international community.

11. The three parties supported the reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, to enhance its authority, efficiency, competence and accountability in meeting various global threats and challenges, and would keep in contact on this issue. They expressed their readiness to support Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the U.N., in his work.

Original source: http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjdt/2649/t289953.htm

Other Joint Communiqués:

China-Japan | China-Russian | China-Sri Lanka | China-India-Russia | China-Mozambique | China-South Africa | China-Zambia | China-Japan-Korea | China-Benin | China-Montenegro | China-Uganda | China-Republic of Congo | China-Ghana | China-Georgia | China-Greece | China-Pakistan | China-Malaysia | China-Kazakhstan | China-Samoa | China-Portugal | China-E.U. | China-Vietnam | China-Armenia | China-Brunei Darussalam | China-Albania | China-Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) | China-Fiji Islands | China-Papua New Guinea | China-Moldova | China-Iran | China-Oman | China-United Kingdom |