BEIJING, May 9 (INP): Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here on Wednesday that China, Japan and South Korea should accelerate the negotiations for a trilateral Free Trade Agreement and achieve the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership at an early date so as to promote the building of an East Asian Economic Community. Li made the remarks at a trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Tokyo. China, Japan and South Korea have all benefited from free trade in their respective development and are all advocates of free trade, Li said. Li stressed that under current circumstances, the three countries should stand together in an even more steadfast manner to safeguard the rule-based multilateral free trade system and take a firm position against acts of trade protectionism and unilateralism. Li Keqiang also urged the parties concerned to seize the current opportunity to promote denuclearization and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Currently, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is at a crucial juncture for improvement, Li said, calling for sticking to the direction of dialogue and reconciliation. China supports the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and South Korea to improve ties, and congratulates them on holding a successful meeting between the two countries' leaders, Li said. China hopes the upcoming DPRK-US summit will be smooth, he added. "We are also in favor of dialogues among parties in various forms to address both the symptoms and root causes, promote a political settlement of the peninsula issue and establish a peace mechanism, so as to achieve lasting peace in the region," Li said. China will continue to play a constructive role to this end, he told the press after the trilateral meeting. INP/J/AJ