3-way cooperation 'critically' important' to region's success

Yang Houlan, a veteran Chinese diplomat who now chairs an organization that coordinates trilateral cooperation between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, has called for the acceleration of FTA negotiations in order to better boost economic integration in East Asia.

Yang, the secretary-general of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, stressed the point in an interview with China Daily days ahead of a weekend meeting of the leaders of the three countries.

The diplomat noted that Europe's integration could be taken as example: "Without the cooperation among major European countries, including Britain, Germany and France, there would not have been the achievement and development of the European Union today."