(VOVworld) – Deputy Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Korea, China, and Japan discussed Wednesday in Seoul how to revive trilateral cooperation when their relations are strained due to historical and territorial disputes. South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, and Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama met in the run-up to foreign minister talks scheduled for late March. Mr. Lee planned separate meetings with Mr. Zhenmin and Mr. Sugiyama. The meeting was the first by 3 deputy foreign ministers since September, 2014, in Seoul.

Deputy foreign ministers of the Republic of Korea, China, and Japan join hands before they have a trilateral meeting in Seoul in September, 2014. (Photo: Yonhap)

A three-party foreign ministers' meeting has not been held since April, 2012. The upcoming trilateral talks are expected to pave the way for a trilateral summit which has been stalled since mid 2012.