S. Korea, Japan urged to boost ties to counter China's rise

By Kim Deok-hyun
SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) -- A Japanese lawmaker urged South Korea and Japan on
Friday to work toward further strengthening their economic cooperation in order
to offset efforts by China to gain more clout in the Asian economy.

Motohisa Furukawa, a four-term lawmaker with the opposition Democratic Party of
Japan and former bureaucrat in Japan's finance ministry, insisted that South
Korea and Japan would become a leader in the region only if the two sides boost
economic relations.
"So far, South Korea and Japan have been in a stage of competition with each
other. But if they broaden their vision and cooperate, they can create huge
profits," Furukawa told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on
East Asia in Seoul.
"With its success in manufacturing, China is spreading its standard model to the
world. If South Korea and Japan cooperate, they will overcome it," the lawmaker
said.
The comments by Furukawa come as China, which threatens to overtake Japan as the
world's second-largest economy, is working to gain more clout in the global
economy as the economic crisis drags on.
"Only if South Korea and Japan cooperate will they be able to lead other nations
in Asia," Furukawa said.
Relations between South Korea and Japan have been relatively warm since South
Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office early last year.
This year, Lee and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso revived the so-called
"shuttle" diplomacy between the two neighboring countries that had been suspended
for three years over political and territorial tensions.
At their first summit early this year, Lee and Aso agreed to closely cooperate to
help establish a new global system that can prevent the recurrence of the current
global crisis, but set aside potentially explosive issues of territorial and
historical disputes.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)