(Unofficial Translation)

It is a pleasure to meet with Your Excellencies here in Chengdu, a city with a time-honored history going back 2500 years.

I am grateful to President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang for the meticulous preparations for today’s trilateral summit as well as for the warm welcome extended to our delegations. 

Our three nations have worked together over the past two decades in various areas, including the economy, diplomacy, culture, people-to-people exchanges and the environment. Today, we stand as the core cooperative body in Northeast Asia, contributing to peace and prosperity worldwide. The international standing of our nations has continued to grow. Collectively, we represent one-fifth of the world’s population, a quarter of global GDP and one-fifth of global trade volume. Our economies are ranked second, third and eleventh in the world.  

Now, I’d like to talk about the shared dream of our three nations in the interest of even closer cooperation. 

China aspires to advance along with its neighboring states as a community with a common destiny. The basis for this are the feelings of friendship, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

Japan is entering the new imperial era of Reiwa, which translates as “beautiful harmony,” and embraces renewed yearnings for peace. Korea aspires to become a nation where all thrive together, thereby helping to promote peace and prosperity for the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.

The aspirations of Korea, China and Japan are the same. Only when we achieve harmony and work together can we expedite the realization of a sustainable world.  

Today, our three nations will adopt a vision for cooperation among Korea, China and Japan for the next decade. This will become a milestone in our cooperation toward the fulfillment of our shared aspiration.  

We have a shared destiny on the economic front as well. Each of our countries possesses specific technologies and strengths, and our three economies are linked by a value chain. I hope that we can further strengthen our economic cooperation so that we can advance together under a system of division of labor and collaboration.  

The upheavals brought on by protectionism, climate change and the Fourth Industrial Revolution demand that our three countries bolster cooperation still more.

Thank you.