China, South Korea agree to seek summit with Japan by November

[SEOUL] China and South Korea agreed to seek a three-way summit with Japan in late October or early November in a step toward easing tensions in the region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun Hye agreed trilateral cooperation would contribute to peace and prosperity in the region when the two leaders met in Beijing for talks on Wednesday, the presidential office in Seoul said in a statement on its website. The summit would take place in South Korea, it said.

The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea agreed in March to hold the summit "at the earliest convenient time."

Mr Park, Mr Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have never met together.

Mr Park and Mr Xi in recent months have signaled a willingness to put behind acrimony over Japan's wartime past to permit the first three-way summit in three years.

Mr Park said last month that it was time for relations with Japan to move forward "based on the right historical recognition" after Mr Abe said Japan inflicted "immeasurable damage and suffering" across Asia, in his statement marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

A three-way summit may ease tensions related to territorial disputes and invigorate talks on a free-trade deal between the countries, which account for a fifth of the world economy. The three are also members of six-nation talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear arms programs.

BLOOMBERG