China, Japan and South Korea’s foreign ministers held a video conference on Friday to discuss cooperation on the coronavirus pandemic amid growing concern over the number of infected people arriving in their countries from overseas. Although the epidemic erupted in China in December, and South Korea at one stage had the second-most infections , both countries succeeded in curtailing domestic transmission. On Friday, China reported no domestically transmitted cases of the virus had been registered on Thursday, but it had 39 imported infections. Mainland China has more than 80,000 infections in total. The number of cases in Japan has been far smaller but Tokyo has the extra consideration of whether to press ahead with hosting the Olympics this summer, with some 600,000 spectators and athletes expected to descend on Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to hold the games, slated to begin on July 24, in their “complete form” without downscaling any of the events or preventing spectators from attending. During the teleconference, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the Olympics would be “a symbol of humankind’s victory over the virus”. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said he was looking forward to the event, and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said she supported Japan’s position on the matter. At its daily press briefing, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the three ministers pledged to strengthen efforts to curb the spread of the virus, and reduce the impact of the pandemic on trade and economic flows, especially on supply chains. The countries would also cooperate in drug vaccine research, coordinate the import and export of medical materials, and hold a meeting of health ministers to share information, he said. There were many “touching stories” of the support and help China, Japan and South Korea had provided each other, Geng said. “[This will] translate into a strong momentum for promoting traditional friendship and deepening pragmatic cooperation,” he said. The three countries have strong economic ties and Beijing has used this to expand diplomatic relationships with Seoul and Tokyo, both traditional US allies. It has also been eager to mediate long-running tensions between Japan and South Korea over territorial and historical issues, which escalated last year into a bitter trade dispute, pointing to how good relations are crucial for stability in the region. Reduced flights, stronger border controls, and quarantine requirements introduced in response to the epidemic have proved irksome for Tokyo-Seoul ties. Earlier this month, Seoul suspended visas and visa waivers for Japan in a tit-for-tat move following Tokyo’s own travel restrictions on Koreans, triggering fears that their defences against the virus could spark a fresh feud. Motegi explained the reasoning behind Japan’s decision earlier this month to ban entry by Chinese and South Korean visitors through the end of this month. South Korea had retaliated with similar measures. Japan has had 963 domestically transmitted cases and 33 deaths, according to public broadcaster NHK. That does not include more than 700 cases and seven deaths from a cruise ship moored near Tokyo last month. “It will be necessary to take appropriate border measures for a while. It also serves to prevent the virus from spreading overseas,” Motegi said. Kang said during the call: “I think the three countries need to work together to contain the spread of the coronavirus and minimise any resulting reduction on exchanges and cooperation between the peoples, as well as its economic and social impact.” Korean media reported that the country’s foreign ministry had been asking other countries to ease entry restrictions for South Koreans travelling on business, as long as they could prove they did not have the coronavirus. About 170 countries and territories are restricting entry from South Korean visitors. The country, which has 8,652 cases, will from Sunday impose a two-week mandatory quarantine on travellers from Europe. It already has special entry procedures for visitors from hard-hit countries like China, Italy and Iran, requiring them to sign up by a smartphone application to track whether they have any symptoms such as fever. South Korea is also planning to send two chartered flights to Italy to evacuate about 570 citizens from the country with the most deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, local media reported. Political science academic Yoon Sung-suk at the Chonnam University said the pandemic had compelled the three countries to “join forces in their fight against the virus despite tensions over the regional arms race and legacies over Japan’s wartime past”. “It is extremely important for the three countries to cooperate closely to prevent the virus from spreading throughout the region in light of the heavy traffic of people and goods flowing through the region,” he said. Additional reporting by Reuters, Kyodo Purchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). This 60-page all new intelligence report gives you first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments and intelligence about China AI. Get exclusive access to our webinars for continuous learning, and interact with China AI executives in live Q&A. Offer valid until 31 March 2020.