1st LD Writethru: UN chief hails trilateral foreign ministers' meeting of China, Japan, S. Korea

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday welcomed the meeting of the foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea, voicing his hope that "it will give a momentum to reinforce the trilateral cooperation mechanism."

"The secretary-general welcomes the seventh Republic of Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting, hosted by the Republic of Korea in Seoul on March 21," said a statement issued by Ban's spokesman.

"The secretary-general hopes that it will give a momentum to reinforce the trilateral cooperation mechanism," the statement said, adding that Ban also expects that the Trilateral Summit would be held at an early date as agreed by the three ministers.

"He further encourages the concerned parties to work closely to promote mutual trust and future-oriented cooperation for peace and prosperity in the region," the statement added.

The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea gathered in Seoul on Saturday for their first three-way meeting since 2012.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se have already met on Saturday morning. Later they will be joined by Japan's Fumio Kishida to exchange views on progress and future development of trilateral cooperation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday the ministers will also discuss a summit between the leaders of the three countries, which could take place if the political atmosphere is right. Endi