Chinese foreign minister meets Japanese, Korean counterparts
The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea are meeting in Beijing as they seek to encourage progress on North Korean denuclearization.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday that China will work with the two countries to maintain multilateralism and free trade and commit to the region's stability.
Wang hosted a round-table meeting with Japan's Taro Kono and South Korea's Kang Kyung-wha.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, center, speaks with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during their trilateral meeting at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Relations between Japan and South Korea have been tense since Japan tightened export controls on key materials for South Korea's semiconductor industry and decided to downgrade the nation's trade status.
Seoul accuses Tokyo of weaponizing trade to retaliate for political rows over wartime history.
China is North Korea's most important ally and has argued that steps by Pyongyang depend on security assurances from Seoul and Washington.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, speaks with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha and Japanese counterpart Taro Kono during their trilateral meeting at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, center, speaks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, and South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha during their trilateral meeting at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha before a trilateral meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, speaks during a trilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha, left, and Japanese counterpart Taro Kono, right, at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, holds hands of his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha, left, and Japanese counterpart Taro Kono ahead of their trilateral meeting at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, holds hands of his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha, left, and Japanese counterpart Taro Kono ahead of their trilateral meeting at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, holds hands of his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha, left, and Japanese counterpart Taro Kono ahead of their trilateral meeting at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, points skyward to his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha, left, and Japanese counterpart Taro Kono ahead of their trilateral foreign ministers' meeting at Gubei Town in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 21, 2019. (Wu HongPool Photo via AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, holds hands of his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha, left, and Japanese counterpart Taro Kono for photos ahead of their meeting in Beijing Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (Korea PoolYonhap via AP)