BEIJING -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that China, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan were discussing the possibility of a foreign ministers' meeting in late March, after a break of almost two years.

"Currently, the three countries are in discussion on the topic, " spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily press briefing.

Calling China-ROK-Japan cooperation an important part of East Asia cooperation, Hua said China has always attached great importance to the trilateral cooperation and actively promoted its healthy development.

The first foreign ministers' meeting among the three countries was in June 2007 in the ROK and had been held annually in the countries by rotation.

The sixth meeting, held in April 2012, was the last time the three countries met as China-Japan and ROK-Japan relations soured due to rows over historical and territorial issues.