China, Japan and S. Korea to cooperate on pollution

China, Japan and South Korea have agreed on Sunday that climate change, air pollution and plastic waste in the oceans are some of the areas they should prioritize in environmental cooperation over the next five years, as a tripartite meeting was held in western Japan's Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture.

In the two-day event, also known as the 21st Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting, China's Minister of Ecology and Environment Li Ganjie together with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Shinjiro Koizumi and Cho Myung-rae, identified eight issues to focus on in the next five years. They agree to fight climate change, tackle air pollution and to better control and recycle waste as to prevent contamination in the ocean.

"We had a candid and in-depth discussion and reached favorable outcomes," Li told reporters at a news conference after the meeting, adding that as 2019 marks the conclusion of the Tripartite Joint Action Plan on Environmental Cooperation 2015-2019. The ministers are all satisfied to hear that progress has been achieved in air pollution control, prevention of dust and sandstorms, and biodiversity conservation as well as in the transition to a green economy, Li said.