New York, Sept. 21 (Jiji Press)–The foreign chiefs of Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Monday to enhance cooperation to strengthen supply chains, apparently keeping China in mind. The agreement came at a meeting held among the three officials in New York ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the United States on Thursday. In a joint statement released after Monday’s meeting, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that they resolutely oppose arbitrary export controls that disrupt supply chains as well as economic coercion, emphasizing the three countries’ cooperation in the field of economic security. Over the Taiwan Strait, the three officials reaffirmed opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo while expressing support for Taiwan’s appropriate participation in international organizations. Motegi, Rubio and Cho urged North Korea to immediately resolve the issue of its abductions of foreign nationals and reconfirmed stronger cooperation for the denuclearization of the country. They also called on North Korea to reopen dialogue. Later on Monday, Motegi and Rubio held a bilateral meeting, exchanging views on issues related to China and on the International Criminal Court. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
