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For the first time in three years, the foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan want to hold talks on future cooperation of the region's three economic powerhouses.
A three-day meeting has been scheduled for August 20-22 in Beijing to strengthen the basis for the "system of cooperation," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
It remained unclear whether bilateral talks between South Korea's top diplomat and her Japanese counterpart would come to pass. The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated significantly as a result of a recent trade dispute.
Japan issued stricter controls for the export of important materials used to produce semiconductors and displays to South Korea in July. The move's backstory centres on a dispute over restitution for Korean forced laborers under the colonial rule of Japan.
In South Korea, the foreign ministers' meeting is expected to include preparations for a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korean leader Moon Jae In and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
At a summit in May last year attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang instead of Xi Jinping, the three countries agreed to encourage the nuclear disarmament of North Korea. (dpa)
