Premier Li Qiang arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a trilateral summit with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts. It's their first three-way talks in more than four years.

The three countries agreed to hold a summit every year starting in 2008 to boost regional cooperation, but the initiative has been disrupted by tensions and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Their last trilateral summit was in late 2019.

Officials in Seoul said South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Li will adopt a joint statement on six areas including the economy and trade, science and technology, people-to-people exchanges and health and the ageing population.

Yoon is set to hold bilateral talks with Li and Kishida ahead of their three-way gathering on Monday.

Kishida is also expected to meet separately with Li.

Officials and diplomats in Seoul warned not to expect breakthroughs on sensitive issues but said the summit could make progress in areas of practical cooperation like people-to-people exchanges and consular matters. (Reuters)