Closer cooperation on environmental protection among China, Japan, ROK needed: officials

Delegations from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Monday called for a closer cooperation on disaster relief and environmental protection among the three countries.

At the 6th Session of the Northeast Asia Trilateral Forum in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, officials and scholars from the three countries said that the on-going Japan nuclear crisis reflected a lack of regional cooperation in alleviating environmental problems.

Disasters such as earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis cannot be solved single-handedly by one country, said former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone in a written statement at the forum .

Meng Wei, president of the China Environmental Science Research Institute, said, the nuclear crisis has been threatening the environment of the whole region and a dialogue mechanism on disaster relief should be established.

Former Minister of Environment of ROK, Kim Myung-Ja, said there is no national boundary in face of nuclear radiation, and the three countries should work together to ensure nuclear safety.

The Northeast Asia Trilateral Forum is co-sponsored by China's Xinhua News Agency, Japan's Nikkei news group and the ROK's leading daily newspaper, Joong-Ang Ilbo, seeks to strengthen non-governmental exchanges among the three nations.

The yearly event has alternated locations among the three countries since 2006.

The 6th Session of the Northeast Asia Trilateral Forum lasted from Sunday to Monday. The event was attended by figures from political, academic and business circles in China, Japan and the ROK.

Source: Xinhua

	Weekly review     April 20   Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail to remove luxury seats   April 18   China undergoing shift into nation of consumers April 18   Zhejiang checks food, raids illegal bun makers April 19   SASS: Chinese students mentally healthier than Asian peers April 23   The week in pictures April 19   Build legal bulwark against moral decline April 21   'China model' 30 years on: from home to abroad April 21   Piano student's bloody crime heart-wrenching in China April 18   China places firmer lid on home prices April 19   China puts brake on economic bullet train