Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso (C) and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (R) prior to their tripartite meeting in Fukuoka, Japan, Dec. 13, 2008. [Xinhua]

Leaders of China, Japan and South Korea signed a joint statement on trilateral partnership relations in Japan's Fukuoka Saturday.

In the statement, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said they gathered here to help lay a solid foundation in promoting their tripartite cooperation.

The tripartite cooperation will not only contribute to create a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future for the region and international community, but also be crucial to address the serious challenges in the global economy and the financial markets, said the statement.

Content with the achievements made so far in the tripartite cooperation in enhancing mutual political trust, increasing trade and economic contacts, expanding social and cultural exchange and strengthening financial cooperation, the three leaders have committed themselves to further promote the trilateral cooperation, according to the statement.

"We have reached common recognition that the tripartite cooperation will be guided under the principle of openness, transparency, mutual trust, common interest and respect for our diverse cultures, and that it will contribute to advancing wider regional cooperation frameworks such as ASEAN+3, EAS, ARF and APEC in a complementary and mutually reinforcing manner."

The statement also said the tripartite meeting in Fukuoka will pave the way for a new era of tripartite partnership which will lead to the peace and sustainable development in the region.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso (C) and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (R) prior to their tripartite meeting in Fukuoka, Japan, Dec. 13, 2008. [Xinhua]

Recognizing the importance of this first-ever Trilateral Summit Meeting held independently of other occasions, the leaders decided to hold the Summit in the three countries on a regular basis, with the next such meeting to be held in China next year, the statement added.

These leaders agreed  to carry out various cooperation in a systematic manner.

Cooperation among the three countries has developed significantly in terms of quantity and quality in recent years, said the joint statement issued. The three countries are now required more than ever to systematicaly manage a variety of cooperation activities in the future, said the statement, entitled "Action Plan for Promoting Trilateral Cooperation" among China, Japan and South Korea.

The action plan, which was based on several documents on tripartite cooperation concluded previously among the three countries, aims to outline specific steps for cooperation activities in various fields, it said.