China Japan and South Korea show desire to cooperate at trilateral summit

China, Japan and the Republic of Korea have shown their strong desire to cooperate in the joint declaration adopted at a trilateral summit meeting, Beijing said on Tuesday.

Leaders of the three countries attended the Ninth Trilateral Summit Meeting in Seoul on Monday, the first such meeting in more than four years, and issued a joint declaration.

The three countries agreed in the declaration to maintain discussion over the speeding up of negotiations for a trilateral free trade agreement, and reaffirmed their commitment to keeping markets open, strengthening supply chain cooperation and avoiding supply chain disruptions.

The declaration has given out a signal of strengthened solidarity and deepened cooperation among Northeast Asian countries, and contributed to stabilizing the turbulent international situation, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday.

It also shows strong momentum of trilateral cooperation, she said.

The three countries reaffirmed the need to maintain peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

China calls on all parties to the Korean Peninsula issue to contribute to the process of the issue's political settlement, Mao said, adding that China's basic position on the issue remains unchanged.