Japan, China and South Korea summit eyed for early May

The last three-way summit was held in November 2015 in Seoul

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Chinese premier Li Keqiang waves as he arrives for a news conference following the closing of the First Session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 20, 2018. Li will be holding a trilateral summit with Japanese and South Korean leaders in early May. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 3:45am, 21 Mar 2018Updated: 11:11am, 21 Mar 2018

Japan, China and South Korea have agreed in principle to hold a trilateral summit in early May, possibly on May 8-9, several diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.

The three-way summit was last held in November 2015 in Seoul.

At the meeting to be chaired by Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, China’s premier, Li Keqiang, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are expected to discuss steps to boost cooperation in the fields of economy, environment and culture.

People watch a TV screen showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, left, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on March 9, 2018. Trump agreed to meet with Kim by the end of May to negotiate an end to Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. Earlier that month, South Korea, Japan and China will hold their own summit. Photo: AP

The conference will take place in the same month as the proposed meeting of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

To lay the groundwork for the trilateral summit, the Japanese and Chinese governments are planning for China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, to visit Japan in April, other diplomatic sources said. Wang was promoted to state counsellor in charge of foreign affairs on Monday.

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