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Nations map out shared vision of future relations

By Cheng Guangjin (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-31 07:46

BEIJING - China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are expected to remove obstacles to trade and to promote further cooperation among the three nations, following the release of a blueprint for the next decade during the third Trilateral Summit on Saturday.

Leaders of the three nations, Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and ROK President Lee Myung-bak met for the annual two-day summit on the ROK resort island of Jeju.

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Among other items in a statement produced on the first day of the summit, they pledged to set up a secretariat in the ROK next year, to finish a joint study on the Free Trade Area (FTA) before 2012 and to discuss the possibility of launching a defense consultation mechanism.

With their joint goals mapped out in the Trilateral Cooperation Vision 2020, the three nations have a fair chance of eliminating major barriers in cooperation, analysts said.

Zhou Yongsheng, professor of Japanese studies at the China Foreign Affairs University, noted the highlight of the summit was the aim of setting up a secretariat, which will substantiate cooperation among the three nations.

"Implementation and communication will be more smoothly conducted through the mechanism of a secretariat," Zhou said.

In the blueprint, the three nations hope the joint study on the FTA, which was launched earlier in May, can be completed in 2012 to serve as a reference for negotiations that have been ongoing for the past 10 years.

"The three countries, which are economically interdependent, have separate FTAs with other countries, but still do not have one among themselves," said Liu Jiangyong, a senior professor of Asia-Pacific studies at Tsinghua University

Conflicts blocking the negotiations stem from each country seeking to protect its own vulnerable industries, such as agriculture in the ROK and Japan, Liu said.

"The three nations' governments, business communities and scholars should discuss and communicate with each other what promises they can offer. Their governments can then arrange to implement the plans and make the necessary adjustments along the way," said Liu.

Whether to open certain markets is only one factor blocking the three countries' cooperation. The other is concern over security, Zhou said.

"They lack trust and understanding of each other," Zhou noted, adding that some people in Japan and China have accused each other of developing militarism, which results from a lack of understanding.

The blueprint lists the possibility of a defense consultation mechanism for enhancing dialogue over security.

"Only with sincere and frank communication will trust be built to further help economic cooperation," Zhou said.

The trilateral summit, which was inaugurated in December 2008, will be held in Japan next year.

Zhang Jin contributed to the story.