JAPAN, ROK AND PRC FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 001677

SIPDIS

NSC FOR J. SHRIER
CEQ FOR LANDON VAN DYKE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL SENV EAID KS CH JA
SUBJECT: JAPAN, ROK AND PRC FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET

REF: SEOUL 1214

TOKYO 00001677 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer, reasons 1.4(b),(d).

Summary
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1. (C) The Foreign Ministers of Japan, China and South Korea
met June 14 to set the stage for a first-ever "stand-alone"
trilateral summit this fall in Tokyo (every previous trilat
has taken place on the margins of the ASEAN 3 summit or other
international events). During their three-hour meeting, the
FMs discussed ongoing and future trilateral cooperation in
functional areas such as climate change, disaster relief and
UN reform, as well as regional issues such as the Korean
Peninsula and African development. The three FMs also
briefly discussed NEAPSM, with the Chinese and Korean FMs
expressing a "greater willingness" to move forward on this
than their Japanese counterpart. While our MOFA interlocutor
downplayed the substantive content of the meeting, he
nonetheless stressed the importance of the three countries
meeting regularly outside the margins of other international
gatherings. End summary.

Regional and Global Cooperation: Korea, Africa
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2. (C) MOFA Asia Bureau Regional Affairs Director Kazutoshi
Aikawa briefed Embassy Tokyo June 17 on the results of the
June 14 Japan-ROK-PRC Foreign Ministers meeting. This was
the second Foreign Ministerial to be held independent of
other international fora (the first was held in the ROK in
June 2007). During their three-hour meeting, Foreign
Ministers Masahiko Koumura, Yu Myung-hwan and Yang Jiechi
discussed ongoing and future trilateral cooperation in
regional and functional areas. In their discussions on the
Korean Peninsula, the three FMs agreed to strengthen their
mutual cooperation in order to advance the denuclearization
process within the framework of the Six Party Talks. They
agreed that first and foremost is the full implementation of
the Second Phase Actions, as well as the promotion of
progress in Japan-DPRK and ROK-DPRK relations, Aikawa
continued. The subject of the Northeast Asia Peace and
Security Mechanism came up briefly. According to Aikawa, the
Chinese and South Korean Foreign Ministers displayed a
"greater willingness" than FM Koumura to pursue this matter.



3. (C) On the subject of Africa and African development, the
three FMs discussed their respective Africa policies and how
to better coordinate aid and other activities. FM Koumura
highlighted the results of the recent Tokyo International
Conference on African Development (TICAD IV),and the three
agreed to hold a Director General-level meeting on Africa
later in the year. They also agreed that Africa should be a
topic of discussion during the still-TBD trilateral summit.

Natural Disasters, Climate Change, UN Reform
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4. (C) The three pledged that, in the wake of recent regional
natural disasters such as the Chinese and Japanese
earthquakes and Burmese cyclone, they will pursue trilateral
cooperation in mitigating and responding to regional natural
disasters. On the subjects of the environment and climate
change, the three FMs agreed on the necessity of
strengthening cooperation towards the establishment of an
effective framework beyond 2012. This framework should
address climate change based on the Bali Action Plan and the
principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities and
respective capabilities" under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change.


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5. (C) Koumura, Yu and Yang also exchanged views on issues
related to United Nations reform, including UN Security
Council membership. Foreign Minister Koumura in particular
called for cooperation towards reforming the UN Security
Council at the earliest possible time.

"Value at this Point in Just Meeting"
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6. (C) Aikawa acknowledged that, although there wasn't much
in the way of substantive progress during this trilateral
ministerial, the most important thing was that the three
ministers met outside the margins of an international event.
In this same vein, this fall's "stand-alone" trilateral
summit will also be "historic and valuable." These
stand-alone summits will rotate among the three countries,
with the next to be held in China in 2009. They will likely
be in addition to, not in lieu of, the regular summits that
take place on the margins of the ASEAN 3 summits, Aikawa
explained. He added that the goal of the trilateral summit
is not to create a new mechanism or be woven into an existing
mechanism like the ASEAN 3 or APEC, but rather for the three
countries to seek areas on a case-by-case basis in which
their cooperation will yield positive results.
SCHIEFFER