Former Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan (6th R, front), Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hong-Koo (7th R, front), Former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo (8th R, front), Li Congjun, president of Xinhua News Agency (9th R, front), and other participants pose for photos after the seventh session of the Northeast Asia Trilateral Forum in Seoul, April 16, 2012. Experts from China, Japan and South Korea on Monday called for closer cooperation among the three neighboring Northeast Asia countries to meet future challenges and boost prosperity and stability in the region. The one-day session, with the theme on "Uncertainties in the global economy and cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea, " drew about 30 former high-ranking officials and prominent figures from political, academic and business circles of China, Japan and South Korea.

Experts from China, Japan and South Korea on Monday called for closer cooperation among the three neighboring Northeast Asia countries to meet future challenges and boost prosperity and stability in the region.

The proposal was made at the seventh session of the Northeast Asia Trilateral Forum, a regional platform with political, business and academic experts from the three countries.

The one-day session, with the theme on "Uncertainties in the global economy and cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea, " drew about 30 former high-ranking officials and prominent figures from political, academic and business circles of China, Japan and South Korea, including former Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo and former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hong-Koo.

In his keynote speech, former Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan said the three countries should strengthen their cooperation amid a weak global economy, so as to promote the regional prosperity and stability.

He also called for greater efforts by the three countries to early finalize free trade negotiations and set up a wide-ranging and high-level free trade zone among them.

Meanwhile, the three countries should take active part in regional and international economic management, and further enhance communication and coordinate their positions on various issues such as the reform of the international monetary and financial systems, maintaining stability of world energy and resources markets, guarding against trade protectionism and establishment of multilateral trading system, Zeng said.

As for the sensitive issues in bilateral relations, Zeng called on three neighboring countries to abide by the consensus and understanding reached by relevant parties, so as to handle these issues in a responsible way.

Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo, for his part, said that taking into account the economic uncertainty faced by the world today, there is a very urgent need to combine wisdom and efforts from political, economic, social and cultural circles. He said he believes that the Northeast Asia Forum will make constant contribution to the future development of the three countries.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo said that Japan, China and South Korea are playing a major role in promoting prosperity and stability of the world economy. He called for closer cooperation among the three countries to forge a better relationship and hoped the experts attending the forum have a frank exchange of views and offer constructive advice to the governments of the three countries.

The forum, cosponsored by China's Xinhua News Agency, Japan's Nikkei news group and South Korea's leading daily newspaper JoongAng Ilbo, aims to strengthen non-governmental exchanges among the three nations.

The yearly event has been held alternately in the three countries since 2006.