(LEAD) Top diplomats of S. Korea, Japan, China to hold talks in Tokyo this week

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By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, March 18 (Yonhap) — The top diplomats of South Korea, Japan and China will meet in Tokyo later this week for talks on their trilateral cooperation and other issues, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will join Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for the three-way gathering on Saturday, the ministry said in a press release.

Cho will depart for Japan on Friday.

The ministers will “assess the progress of trilateral cooperation” since the previous trilateral summit of the three countries’ leaders in May last year and “exchange views on the future development of the tripartite cooperation, as well as regional and international issues,” the ministry said.

The three sides are expected to discuss coordination efforts to ensure a smooth proceeding of their next leaders’ summit, which Japan is set to host later this year.

They are also likely to have broad discussions on ways to boost three-way cooperation in economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges, and issues related to the Korean Peninsula.

During the visit, Cho plans to have separate one-on-one talks with Iwaya and Wang, the ministry added.

The upcoming talks come as South Korea is due to host this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southern city of Gyeongju between late October and early November. China is the host country for next year’s APEC summit.

Preparations and cooperation related to the APEC gathering were expected to be part of the key agenda items in the talks between Cho and Wang.

With Iwaya, Cho is expected to discuss the preparations for the 60th anniversary of the normalization of the two countries’ diplomatic ties, set for June this year, among other bilateral issues.