The 8th Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (hereinafter referred to as the “Meeting”) was held on August 24, 2016, at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo, Japan. The Meeting was presided by Mr. Kishida Fumio, Foreign Minister of Japan, with the participation of Mr. Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, and Mr. Yun Byung-se, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. Mr. Yang Houlan, Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) also participated in the Meeting.
During the Meeting, the three Ministers reviewed the progress of trilateral cooperation focusing on the achievements as well as future directions in following up the outcomes of the 6th Trilateral Summit. They also reaffirmed their commitment toward holding the Trilateral Summit on a regular basis. TCS Secretary-General reported to the Ministers about the progress achieved in each area of trilateral cooperation and the TCS activities, enlisting continued support and guidance from the three governments.
As for regional and international issues, the Ministers exchanged views on the situation of Korean Peninsula, made it clear that the three countries oppose any nuclear or missile development by North Korea, and emphasized that relevant UN Security Council Resolution must be strictly implemented. They also agreed to push forward trilateral cooperation on the occasions of multilateral meetings including G20, ASEAN+3, EAS and APEC Summit scheduled in the latter half of this year.
The Meeting was followed by Joint Press Conference in which the three Ministers delivered remarks, respectively, highlighting the outcomes of their talks.
