In their first-ever joint declaration, the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea on Tuesday pledged to promote security dialogue to maintain peace and stability in all of East Asia. The statement, signed on the sidelines of ASEAN summit talks in Bali, Indonesia, also calls for trilateral cooperation to fight cross-border crimes, such as drug trafficking, and for efforts to prevent SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and other infectious diseases.
The hope is that cooperation in these and other areas, including trade and investment, will produce tangible results. Encouragingly, the leaders agreed to set up a joint committee that will "study, plan, coordinate and monitor the cooperation activities" and will submit progress reports to future summit meetings.
The joint statement reaffirms that the three nations are committed to the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear crisis and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Significantly, the document does not mention North Korea by name, indicating a desire to avoid provoking Pyongyang at a time when behind-the-scenes negotiations are under way to resume six-party talks in Beijing.