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BEIJING – The leaders of China, South Korea and Japan said Sunday that theywill work together to try to calm tensions on the Korean peninsula.The three largest East Asian economies also took steps towarddeepening their economic ties by laying the groundwork for aregional free trade area. The nations — which together account for 90 percent of theEast Asian economy — were holding their fifth annualtrilateral summit, with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao hosting, andSouth Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime MinisterYoshihiko Noda attending. Lee said the three countries all agreed that any furtherprovocations from North Korea would be unacceptable. A failed rocket launch by North Korea last month drew sanctionsfrom the U.N. Security Council, and there are now fears Pyongyangis preparing to conduct its third nuclear test. China — apermanent member of the U.N. Security Council — is NorthKorea's closest diplomatic ally. "The pressing task is to try our best to prevent tensions on theKorean peninsula from escalating," Wen said. He urged all partiesto "return to the right track of dialogue and negotiations." Noda said Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul should work together to try toprevent further provocations by North Korea. Lee, meanwhile, said South Korea was pleased that China has beenurging North Korea to improve the living standards of its people. The summit — which followed a meeting among the threenations' economic and trade ministers — also saw the signingof an investment agreement, paving the way for the setup of a freetrade area among the three nations. The leaders agreed that negotiations for the free trade area shouldbegin by the end of the year. The initiative comes amid a slow global economic recovery. "In times of crisis, if countries, for their own survival, carryout protectionist ideas, then the recovery of the economy will takea long time," Lee said. Wen said the regional pact — which exists in several otherparts of the world — would benefit the East Asian countriesat a time of rising trade protectionism around the world. "The establishment of (a free trade area) will unleash the economicvitality of our region and give a strong boost to economicintegration in East Asia," Wen said. Noda said the economic cooperation among Japan, China and SouthKorea was crucial in ensuring the Asia-Pacific region remain thegrowth center of the world economy. Trade among the three countries grew to $690 billion in 2011, andChina is the biggest trade partner for both South Korea and Japan,according to a Chinese government report on the three-nationrelationship. The investment agreement — the first such document among thethree nations — will stimulate further investment and promoteadditional trade, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in astatement. ___ Associated Press researcher Henry Hou contributed to this report. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China IPL Skin Rejuvenation Machine , Co2 Fractional Laser Machine for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits IPL Beauty Machine.
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