Chinese premier calls for investment agreement, co-op secretariat among China, Japan, S Korea

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday called for further efforts to establish the mechanism and framework of cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea in line with a blueprint mapping out cooperation in the region over the next decade.

He made the call at a trilateral summit on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju also attended by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

The Chinese premier said the three countries should take into account one another's major concerns and properly handle sensitive issues so as to enhance political mutual trust and maintain peace and stability in the region.

This, he stressed, constituted the most important basis for deepening trilateral cooperation.

He noted that in tackling global financial crisis, the three countries have maintained close communication and coordination in their joint efforts to oppose trade protectionism, deepening and broadening cooperation in all fields, thus achieving economic revival and growth in bilateral trade.

The premier called for greater input by the three countries to consolidate the economic recovery while continuing to implement appropriate policies. Meanwhile, they should adopt a long-term approach to the steady recovery and future growth of region's economy, and work together to create a favorable condition for this end, Wen said.

He urged the three countries to encourage joint researches by officials, businessmen and scholars on a free trade area, strive to reach a trilateral investment agreement at an early date, and enhance cooperation on standardization and establishment of a secretariat for trilateral cooperation.