China, Japan, South Korea urge North Korea to scrap nuclear weapons
Comments from three nations come ahead of a US-North Korean summit, amid hopes it will pave way to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula
Leaders from Japan, China and South Korea on Wednesday reaffirmed the importance of the denuclearisation of North Korea as the world looks ahead to the first-ever US-North Korean summit in the coming weeks.
Speaking after a summit with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae In, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hailed a declaration released after the inter-Korean summit late last month that confirmed the “complete” denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
Abe also said that China and South Korea would support Japan’s efforts to resolve the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago. He said it was one of his government’s top priorities.
“Japan, China and South Korea, in collaboration with the international community, have to strongly urge North Korea to take concrete actions,” Abe said at the opening of the summit in Tokyo, the first such meeting in 2½ years.
Moon stressed the necessity of support from Japan and China “on the path towards peace on the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia”.
Li pledged to further develop cooperation to “maintain peace and stability in the region to contribute to peace and prosperity in the world”.