Leaders agree to aid Korean process

Efforts towards denuclearisation essential, Abe says

The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea agreed yesterday to cooperate in seeking peace on the Korean peninsula against the backdrop of historic diplomatic moves by North Korea and a push for the isolated country to give up its nuclear weapons.

North Korea figured prominently in talks between the three leaders in Tokyo after South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s historic meeting last month with the North’s Kim Jong-un. Kim is expected to have a summit soon with US President Donald Trump.

Leaders of the three Asian powers, whose ties have at times been strained by territorial and historical disputes, also touched on economics, in the face of US trade pressure on China and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe praised efforts by Moon and China to engage North Korea and said further efforts on denuclearisation were essential.

“We must take the recent momentum towards denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula and towards peace and security in Northeast Asia, and, cooperating even further with international society, make sure this is linked to concrete action by North Korea,” Abe told journalists.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also attended the threeway summit.

Moon said the three countries agreed to highlight unity as the two Koreas moved towards a permanent peace settlement.

“Above all we reached the consensus that complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, a permanent peace settlement and improvement of South-North relations is very important for peace and prosperity of Northeast Asia,” Moon said.