Accelerate the negotiation of China Japan South Korea Free Trade Area

Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Wen zaiyin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe jointly met with reporters after attending the 8th China Japan South Korea leaders' meeting in Chengdu, Sichuan on the morning of April 24. Li Keqiang expressed that the Eighth China Japan ROK summit was pragmatic, candid, efficient and fruitful. The cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea has gone through an extraordinary course in the past 20 years. We adhere to mutual openness, multilateralism and free trade. The three countries' cooperation has become an important engine for the development of East Asia. Li Keqiang pointed out that from a new historical starting point, we look forward to cooperation in the next decade, make forward-looking and strategic plans, agree to enhance political mutual trust, grasp the direction of cooperation, face up to history and open up the future from a strategic and long-term perspective, adhere to the development of each other as an opportunity, and constantly expand common interests. Based on East Asia, focusing on the Asia Pacific, strengthening communication and coordination in regional and international affairs, and building an East Asian cooperation framework that meets the needs of regional countries.

Li Keqiang expressed that the three countries agreed to work to promote the process of regional economic integration, promote the early signing of the regional comprehensive economic partnership agreement (RCEP), and accelerate the negotiation of the China Japan ROK free trade area. Li Keqiang pointed out that China is further expanding its opening up and has huge market potential in the service industry, financial industry and other fields. We welcome South Korean and Japanese enterprises to take the lead in developing cooperation with China in the fields of health, pension, childcare, securities and life insurance. China proposes to designate 2020 as the "year of China Japan ROK scientific and technological innovation cooperation". The three sides can strengthen "China Japan South Korea + X" cooperation and achieve common development with more countries. We will deepen cooperation in the field of financial science and technology, improve the level of mobile payment facilitation, and provide more convenient payment services for tourists from the three countries. We will tighten ties between people and culture and actively carry out cooperation in the Olympic Games. We will strengthen cooperation on climate change, environmental protection and marine plastic waste. Li Keqiang expressed that we had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and reiterated that the common goal is to achieve denuclearization of the peninsula and lasting peace in Northeast Asia, and that dialogue and consultation are the only effective way to solve the Peninsula issue. The three sides remain committed to solving the Peninsula issue through political and diplomatic means and achieving long-term peace and stability of the peninsula and the region.

Leaders of South Korea and Japan spoke highly of the fruitful results of China Japan South Korea cooperation in the past 20 years, and fully affirmed the leading role of "prospects for the next ten years of China Japan South Korea cooperation" in the next step of cooperation. They agreed to expand cooperation in environmental protection, climate change, health, aging, scientific and technological innovation, sports, youth and other fields, and push the level of tripartite cooperation to a higher level. Actively evaluate the progress of RCEP negotiation, promote the signing of high-quality RCEP on schedule next year, and safeguard free trade and multilateralism. We will strengthen communication and coordination in Korean Peninsula affairs and play a constructive role in achieving denuclearization and lasting peace on the peninsula. According to Xinhua news agency, the 7th China Japan South Korea business summit was held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province on the 24th. As a result of the summit, the business circles of China, Japan and South Korea issued a joint statement to express their common voice of supporting the multilateral trading system and opposing unilateralism and protectionism, highlighting the main line of win-win scientific and technological innovation and cooperation, and emphasizing further improving the level of regional economic integration. The statement said that to safeguard free trade, we welcome the results of the negotiation of the regional comprehensive economic partnership agreement (RCEP), and look forward to the signing of the agreement as soon as possible in 2020. The three business circles called on the government to speed up the negotiation process of China Japan South Korea free trade agreement, build a high-level China Japan South Korea free trade area, improve the level of regional economic integration, and create a more free and convenient trade environment for the business circles.

The statement said that cooperation should be led by science and technology and development promoted by innovation. The industry and Commerce circles of the three countries will seize the development opportunities of digitalization, networking, blockchain and intelligence, promote the cooperation among enterprises of the three countries in 5g, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, Internet of things, smart city and other fields, and form a new situation of development innovation, interest integration and growth linkage. In addition, China, Japan and South Korea will strengthen cooperation in the field of intellectual property protection to promote innovation and development. We call on the three governments to create an open, fair, transparent and predictable business environment, break the barriers restricting the flow of innovation factors, support enterprises to independently carry out technical exchanges and cooperation, promote the sharing of innovation resources and achievements, and achieve strong, sustainable and balanced economic growth in the region and the world. The statement said that we should deepen cooperation in the field of green environmental protection and promote the development of the health care industry. The three countries should jointly advocate green, low-carbon, circular and sustainable production and life style, share experience in environmental governance, encourage cooperation among industry and commerce, academia, think tanks, etc. in energy conservation and environmental protection, new energy industry and other fields, support the development of green finance, effectively improve the capacity of environmental pollution prevention and control, and help to achieve the 2030 sustainable development goal of the United Nations. At the same time, China, Japan and South Korea are all facing a severe aging situation.

The statement supports the three countries to strengthen experience exchange and resource sharing, calls on the government to strengthen cooperation with social capital, make full use of the Internet of things, big data, artificial intelligence and other scientific and technological means, expand the application of information technology, and support the three countries' enterprises to carry out practical cooperation in the fields of health care products and services, nutritional food, leisure and fitness, health consultation and other health care for the elderly. The 7th China Japan South Korea business summit is jointly sponsored by China Council for the promotion of international trade, Korea Korea business and Industry Conference Institute and Japan Federation of economic organizations, to build a platform for communication, docking, cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results for the business communities of the three countries. About 800 representatives of the business community and government of the three countries attended the summit.