China, South Korea and Japan pledge cooperation on regional security as Pyongyang’s deadline nears

Summit brings calls for unity, as North Korea grows impatient for US to change policy by the end of the year

Trio will push to sign Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in 2020 and door is open for India to rejoin talks, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says

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Li Keqiang, flanked by Moon Jae-in (left) and Shinzo Abe, speaks at a joint press conference on Tuesday during the summit in Chengdu. Photo: AP

Published: 7:08pm, 24 Dec 2019Updated: 7:21pm, 24 Dec 2019

Leaders from China, South Korea and Japan have pledged at their summit to work together to ease rising tensions in East Asia including over North Korea, following their earlier commitment to finalising a regional trade pact.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday at the summit between the three countries in Chengdu, southwestern China, at a time of growing impatience from North Korea and troubled negotiations over the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), potentially the world’s largest trade pact.

Security on the Korean peninsula weighed heavily over Tuesday’s talks. Abe expressed his hope for coordination with China and South Korea after increasingly aggressive moves from Pyongyang, which has indicated impatience approaching the end-of-year deadline it gave in April for the United States to change its policy towards the North.

Abe criticised recent weeks’ North Korean missile launches for violating United Nations resolutions and seriously threatening regional security.

“For that purpose, it was confirmed that full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions remains important, and we need to maintain the momentum of the US-North Korea process,” Abe said, referring to talks between the US and North Korea that have stalled since June.