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South Korean Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok speaks during a meeting with the local journalists at the government complex in Sejong on Monday. (Ministry of Economy and Finance) |
South Korean Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok said Monday that he is in talks for bilateral meetings with his Japanese and Chinese counterparts following this week’s trilateral summit of the three countries in Seoul.
“Upon the invitation from the Chinese government, we are discussing detailed schedules for a possible visit to China. I expect to discuss diverse issues, including supply chains,” the nation’s top policymaker said at a press conference held Monday.
“The ministry has also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting with my Japanese counterpart. But details have not yet been decided. If it is held, we hope to hold the meeting in Korea,” he added.
Choi's announcement comes after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang held their trilateral summit talks in Seoul – the first in over four years.
In their joint declaration, the three leaders agreed to expand collaboration on six key areas, including human exchange, sustainable growth, trade, welfare and aging, digital transformation and crisis response.
They also vowed to create high-level consultative bodies in the fields of education, culture, tourism and agriculture to seek tangible results in their trilateral partnership.
"With the resumption of the South Korea-Japan-China trilateral summit, there have been many ministerial and working-level meetings between the relevant ministries. And we discovered many deadlocks during this period that I thought should be addressed," Choi explained.
