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China, Japan, South Korea Agree on Enhancing Economic Cooperation
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung reached a consensus in Singapore Friday on enhancing their countries' economic and trade cooperation.
The three leaders met at a breakfast meeting in advance of their summit with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be held in the afternoon.
At the breakfast meeting, the leaders exchanged views on promoting the three countries' cooperation as well as their cooperation with ASEAN.
Zhu said that China, Japan and South Korea, weighing heavily in East Asian politics and economy, can play an active role in promoting East Asian cooperation. Zhu told Mori and Kim that the conditions for enhancing the trilateral cooperation among Japan, South Korea and China are gradually maturing. Zhu proposed that they give more support to trilateral economic and trade cooperation and encourage Chinese, Japanese and South Korean enterprises to establish links. Mori and Kim agreed to Zhu's initiative.
Zhu also briefed Mori and Kim on China's suggestions to increase cooperation between ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea. Zhu said China would put forward some concrete proposals on enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation with ASEAN. He stressed that China's entry into the WTO will further promote the development of economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN by creating new opportunities.
Zhu proposed to set up a tripartite task force on information technology to study the cooperation of the three countries and how to give a hand to the development of ASEAN's information industry. Zhu also proposed to set 2002 as the personnel exchange year of China, Japan, South Korea and increase the environmental cooperation among the three countries.
Mori and Kim voiced their support to Zhu's proposals. The three leaders agreed on initializing the cooperation among the three countries' economic research institutes, in order to offer policy consultation and suggestions to their governments. South Korea suggested that the capitals of the three countries increase cultural exchanges while Japan put forward a proposal on launching a program on youth leadership exchanges.
The three leaders agreed that it is useful that, on the side lines of the summit meetings of East Asian leaders, an informal summit of China, South Korea and Japan be held to focus on the three countries' cooperation as well as theirs with ASEAN in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, and environmental protection.
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