Japan, U.S., S. Korea Affirm Cooperation on Supply Chains

New York, Sept. 21 (Jiji Press)--The foreign chiefs of Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Monday to enhance cooperation to strengthen supply chains, apparently keeping China in mind.

The agreement came at a meeting held among the three officials in New York ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the United States on Thursday.

In a joint statement released after Monday's meeting, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that they stand firmly against "arbitrary export restrictions that disrupt supply chains" as well as economic coercion, emphasizing the three countries' cooperation in the field of economic security.

Over the Taiwan Strait, the three officials reaffirmed opposition to "any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo" while expressing support for Taiwan's "meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations."

Motegi, Rubio and Cho "reiterated their commitment" to the immediate resolution of the issue of North Korea's abductions of foreign nationals and "reaffirmed their resolute commitment" to the complete denuclearization of the country. They also called on North Korea to "resume dialogue."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]