S Korea, China, Japan agree to cooperate on food security

China, Japan and South Korea agreed on Sunday to work together to ensure food security and enhance their trade of agricultural products.

The three neighboring Northeast Asian countries signed the agreement at a trilateral meeting on Jeju Island of South Korea attended by their agriculture ministers.

According to a joint statement signed by the three ministers at the end of the meeting, the three countries agreed to strengthen cooperation on food security at regional and international levels.

They also agreed to share information on foot-and-mouth disease and bird flu, and to further discuss the feasibility of setting up a joint office to tackle possible outbreaks of the two highly contagious animal diseases.

The three countries will also conduct joint studies of agricultural projects and increase exchanges of experts in the agricultural field.

They also plan to enhance trade of food and agricultural products, and make efforts to promote sustainable development in agriculture and fishery.

It is the first trilateral meeting gathering the three nations' agriculture ministers. They will meet again in Japan next year.