The annual meeting of leaders of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea will be postponed to an appropriate time due to "the current atmosphere and conditions," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry gave no further information about "the current atmosphere and conditions," but said China would continue to fulfill its obligations as one of the three cooperating and coordinating nations.

It is China's hope that the three countries could work together to "remove obstacles for stable development," the ministry said in a brief press release.

The meeting was originally scheduled to be held in mid-December in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia.

(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2005)