The meeting should contribute to a “successful” summit with Kim Jong-un. The Korean question also tops the agenda of the three-party meeting with China and Japan. Free trade in Asia is also on the agenda.
Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The White House has announced that South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on 22 May in Washington, ahead of the US-North Korea summit.
For the South Korean leader, this is but one item on an thick agenda that includes a visit in Tokyo on Wednesday where he will see the prime ministers of Japan and China, Shinzo Abe and Li Keqiang.
Chung Eui-yong, chief of South Korea’s presidential National Security Office, said the next meeting between Moon and Trump will “make the summit between the US and North Korea successful”.
Meanwhile, "where" and "when" the meeting will take place are becoming clear. Singapore has emerged as the most likely venue, sometime between 9 and 15 June.
The Korean question will also take centre stage in the trilateral summit between Japan, China and South Korea on 9 May.
All three nations are expected to sign a joint declaration and pledge to work together for a lasting peace on the peninsula. However, the denuclearisation of Korea will not be the only topic on the agenda.
The three countries are aiming at renewed economic cooperation after years of tense relations due to territorial disputes and Chinese distrust towards the United States, a close ally to both South Korea and Japan.
The new wave of protectionism has pushed the three great Asian economies to seek dialogue and press for free trade in Asia.
According to World Bank estimates, the three nations together account for 22.6 per cent of the global economy.