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South Korea said it agreed with China to seek a three-way summit with Japan in late October or early November in a step toward easing tensions in the region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun Hye agreed trilateral cooperation would contribute to peace and prosperity in the region when the two leaders met in Beijing for talks Wednesday, the presidential office in Seoul said in a statement on its website. The summit would take place in South Korea, it said. Japan would probably accept such an invitation, the Nikkei newspaper said, citing a senior government official.

A three-way summit may ease tensions related to territorial disputes and invigorate talks on a free-trade deal between the countries, which account for a fifth of the world economy. The three are also members of six-nation talks aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear arms programs.

The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea agreed in March to hold the summit “at the earliest convenient time,” after a hiatus of more than three years due to tensions over territorial disputes and historical perceptions. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would also be invited to his first bilateral meeting with Park, the Nikkei reported.

Wartime Past

Park and Xi in recent months have signaled a willingness to put aside acrimony over Japan’s wartime past. Park said last month that it was time for relations with Japan to move forward “based on the right historical recognition” after Abe said Japan inflicted “immeasurable damage and suffering” across Asia, in his statement marking the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.

A report by China’s official Xinhua news service on the Xi-Park meeting said the two leaders vowed to boost cooperation, but it didn’t refer to an agreement on a three-way meeting with Abe. A statement on the Chinese government’s website after a meeting between Premier Li Keqiang and Park said Li hoped all sides would work together to create favorable conditions for a three-way summit. It didn’t specify an agreement or timeframe though.

— With assistance by Jim Jia

Trashline: (Updates fifth paragraph with Chinese government comments.)