China calls on Japan and South Korea to reject 'protectionism' in trilateral summit

• China urged Japan and South Korea on Monday to reject "protectionism" and uphold free trade as the countries met in a trilateral summit in Seoul.
• Chinese Premier Li Qiang said he opposed turning economic and trade issues into "political games or security matters," Chinese state media reported, as he met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
• The summit comes at a time where regional security is at the forefront, amid nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

China on Monday urged Japan and South Korea to reject "protectionism" and uphold free trade as leaders of the countries met in a trilateral summit in Seoul.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said he opposed turning economic and trade issues into "political games or security matters," Chinese state media reported, as he met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Li said the three countries should see one another as "partners and opportunities for development," Xinhua reported.

This is the ninth such trilateral summit between China, Japan and South Korea, but their first in more than four years as they seek to reinvigorate economic and security ties.

In a joint statement released after the summit, the three leaders agreed to "institutionalize" three-way cooperation by regularly holding the trilateral summit and ministerial meetings.

They also agreed to continue talks for "speeding up negotiations" for a free trade agreement aimed at being "fair, comprehensive, high-quality, and mutually beneficial."

The summit was critical to stabilize relations between the three countries even if it doesn't "transfer into some kind of concrete initiative," said Stephen Nagy,a professor at International