Secretariat to aid cooperation

Beijing - There is great urgency for China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to establish a permanent secretariat as it will greatly accelerate substantive trilateral cooperation and facilitate the future development of relationships, analysts said.

"The secretariat is the requirement of the institutionalization of the trilateral summit, which will greatly boost the trilateral cooperation in terms of quality and quantity," said Rong Ying, a researcher with China Institute of International Studies.

The three countries signed an agreement last December to set up a cooperation secretariat, a landmark accord that represents the first treaty between the three Asian neighbors.