Kuala lumpur: President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the need for South Korea, China, and Japan to enhance their cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) to address emerging challenges such as trade protectionism and changes in global supply chains.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee made these remarks during the ASEAN Plus Three summit in Kuala Lumpur, which was attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Lee highlighted the current geoeconomic challenges, including protectionism and the restructuring of global supply chains, and advocated for accelerated cooperation under the ASEAN+3 framework involving South Korea, China, and Japan.

Lee expressed his support for the adoption of a joint statement aimed at strengthening economic and financial cooperation during the summit. He described the move as "very timely," given the increasingly complex regional challenges such as aging populations, low birth rates, the digital divide, climate change, food and energy insecurity, and transnational crime.

The President stated, "We will work closely with China and Japan to create a virtuous cycle in which trilateral exchanges drive stronger ASEAN+3 cooperation, and cooperation under the framework further energizes trilateral engagement."

This summit marked Lee's first in-person meeting with Li ahead of his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Saturday, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Consultations are also underway to arrange Lee's first summit with the newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the APEC summit.