Tokyo: Japanese Premier Shigeru Ishiba sought on Friday to build a ‘future-oriented cooperative relationship’ with China and South Korea, according to a statement from his Foreign Ministry. He made these comments during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-Yul, which also included the presence of Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
According to Anadolu Agency, Ishiba’s meeting with Wang and Cho occurred one day before a scheduled trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting. During the discussions, Ishiba highlighted the significance of China and South Korea as ‘extremely important neighboring countries of Japan,’ as noted in the statement.
Despite facing occasional challenges in their relations, Ishiba underscored the importance of viewing these countries as “neighboring countries” and expressed a hope to engage in dialogues, including on matters of concern. He emphasized the desire to ‘build a future-oriented cooperative relationship through pragmatic diplomacy based on national interests.’
Ishiba further noted that the three nations have ‘significant influence and responsibilities’ in maintaining ‘peace and prosperity’ in Asia. He stressed that cooperation among Japan, China, and South Korea would benefit not only their region but also contribute positively to the rest of the world.