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Carol Braun

All-inclusive, river cruise, & alaska specialist.

The key to a stress-free vacation is planning, personal service, and attention to detail, which are all top priorities when assisting my clients with their travels. Working with a trusted travel advisor is now more critical than ever before. It is vital for me to stay up to date on the current protocols so that you will not encounter any unexpected surprises at your destination. 

My passion comes from creating for my clients a personalized journey from beginning to end. My destination expertise and knowledge in arranging travel include Alaska, Europe, River Cruises, Ocean Cruises, and the beaches of Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.     

Whether you are dreaming of a beach getaway, a European river cruise, or an Alaska land/sea adventure, I would love the opportunity to provide my insight and expertise in creating a truly extraordinary travel experience for you. 

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure.  There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."   Jawaharial Nehru

Let me know how I can be of assistance with your next travel adventure. I look forward to working with you soon! 

Smooth sailing

Wonderful trip, caring and professional travel agent, best retirement trip ever, wonderful trip, destination expert:, travel specialist:.

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World View Travel

(970) 669-5010.

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Travel Leaders

( 22 Reviews )

• 610 E 29th St Loveland, CO 80538
•    970-669-5010

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About Travel Leaders

Travel Leaders is located at 610 E 29th St in Loveland, Colorado 80538. Travel Leaders can be contacted via phone at 970-669-5010 for pricing, hours and directions.

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•   970-669-5010

Questions & Answers

Q what is the phone number for travel leaders.

A The phone number for Travel Leaders is: 970-669-5010.

Q Where is Travel Leaders located?

A Travel Leaders is located at 610 E 29th St, Loveland, CO 80538

Q What is the internet address for Travel Leaders?

A The website (URL) for Travel Leaders is: https://lovelandco.vacation.travelleaders.com/

Q What days are Travel Leaders open?

A Travel Leaders is open: Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Q How is Travel Leaders rated?

A Travel Leaders has a 4.0 Star Rating from 22 reviewers.

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Travel Agency Near Me in Loveland, CO

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Travel leaders agency.

Our biggest concern with closing our storefront was taking care of our wonderful clients who have supported us for 54 years.  After interviewing many independent travel agents and local travel agencies, we are very pleased to announce our alliance with Kristy Osborn, owner of Travel Leaders travel agency in Loveland, CO due to the following reasons:

-  Kristy has been in the business for nearly 30 years and has the same dedication to customer service and passion for travel that we have. -  She has many agents that have over 25+ years of experience and expertise to share with their clients. -  Travel Leaders belongs to the same agency consortium that we do, so you can take advantage of the same amenities and bonuses as before. -  Travel Leaders has a lovely office within a 30 minute drive from our agency, with a nice coffee shop and bakery next door! 

Click the link below to be redirected to the Travel Leaders website or call 970-669-5010: 

Travel Leaders (World View Travel)  

610 East 29th St. Loveland, CO 80538

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Travel Leaders Franchise Business Travel Management companies are locally owned and operated. Each location is backed by the expertise and resources of the $20 billion Travel Leaders Group.

Our experienced Travel Leaders Account Management teams provide customized plans for domestic and international business travel. Your team will collaborate with you to create a unique business travel management plan designed to optimize your financial investment with Travel Leaders.

Whether making travel reservations online using our customized booking solutions, or in-person with your own team of Certified Business Reservations Specialists, our goal is to provide your employees with convenient hassle-free travel experiences.

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Washtenaw County leaders billed for travel overruns still owe thousands, records show

• Published: Jun. 05, 2024, 1:33 p.m.

This file photo shows Washtenaw County's Administration Building at 220 North Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor, Mich. Ryan Stanton | [email protected]

• Lucas Smolcic Larson | [email protected]

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – Two Washtenaw County commissioners personally billed thousands of dollars for exceeding their taxpayer-funded travel budgets have yet to fully repay the county, more than two months after receiving government invoices, records show.

Commissioners Caroline Sanders and Crystal Lyte, both Democrats, have outstanding balances due related to 2023 expenditures from “commissioner travel accounts” for trips to conferences and official meetings, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

MLive/The Ann Arbor News previously reported that a handful of current and former commissioners have surpassed the $7,000 annual limit on the accounts, triggering a requirement under county board rules they be held “personally responsible” for the overruns.

Read more: Washtenaw County leaders overspent travel accounts. Not all have paid it back yet

On April 1, Washtenaw County issued three invoices marked with a due date of the same day, records show, to Sanders, Lyte and former Commissioner Jason Morgan, now serving as a Democratic state representative.

The next morning, Morgan paid the county $485.34, related to travel account overruns incurred in 2022, a county receipt shows.

On April 17, Sanders made a payment of $379.63 toward her invoice, leaving $3,600 outstanding, according to a receipt. No payments from Lyte in response to the $2,125.08 invoice issued to her were included in the records, which a county spokesperson confirmed are up to date as of Monday, June 3.

In a brief interview, Lyte, a first-term commissioner representing a district covering a swath of northern and eastern Washtenaw County, declined to discuss the invoice, referring a reporter to her previous statements that she is required to pay the bill .

“It’s going to be paid,” she said.

Asked if she would pay the rest of the balance on her invoice, Sanders, serving her second term representing a district centered on Pittsfield Township and covering some of the Ypsilanti-area, declined to say.

“It’s already been used for too much fodder. I’m going to make people do the work, so if they really want to know they’ll keep checking back every month,” she said.

In previous interviews, both commissioners defended their conference travel using the funds, pointing to its relevance to issues of housing and homelessness that have preoccupied the county board this term . They were each recruited to attend conferences they didn’t seek out by county staff, and the county gave them no advance notice of their travel account overruns, they said.

Each attended the National Association of Counties conference in Austin, Texas and Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island in 2023, alongside other commissioners. Lyte also traveled for an American Educational Research Association conference in Las Vegas that year, and Sanders attended a landbank conference in Ohio, according to county records.

County administration has adhered to the county’s policies in invoicing commissioners for expenses over the limit, said county spokesperson Crystal Campbell.

Asked about the time that has elapsed since the invoices were issued, Campbell pointed to a lack of specifics around the timeline for payment in county board policy.

“The board rules don’t address what happens if a commissioner doesn’t pay within a certain amount of time, and so all we can go by is what the board rules say, and they just say that we have to provide that invoice,” she said.

County officials have also faced questions about travel expenditures by appointed county staff members this year, making tweaks to county policy governing travel after public scrutiny surrounding frequent trips charged to a government-issued credit card by county Racial Equity Officer Alize Asberry Payne.

Read more: Equity officer booked trip to Europe, 80+ days of travel with Washtenaw County credit card

The county commissioner travel accounts, also called “flex” accounts, are available to all nine county commissioners for travel expenses to conferences relating to issues faced by the county or the elected leaders’ responsibilities, as well as mileage and travel to official meetings, according to board rules.

They are used by varying degrees by different commissioners, with some not touching the funds at all during their time in office, according to expenditure reports posted publicly on the county website.

County board Chair Justin Hodge repaid the county $962.37 for expenses above the spending limit in 2023, records show. He previously told MLive/The Ann Arbor news he paid the sum as soon as he was informed he had gone over the $7,000 limit.

The yearly $63,000 fund for the board as a whole had more than $30,000 left in it at the end of 2023, according to the reports.

The report for 2024 , current as of April 30, shows some commissioners nearly at or exceeding the $7,000 limit, though some expenses included in that sum are currently listed as “pending refund,” meaning those totals may shift.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page , the Ypsilanti-area news page or sign up for the free “ 3@3 Ann Arbor ” daily newsletter.

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Travel Leaders President John Lovell Talks Caribbean Tourism

Internova Travel Group’s Travel Leaders Group has a massive footprint in the travel industry, generating gross travel sales of almost $21 billion every year, through its consortia, host agency and its specialty agencies in everything from cruise to leisure. That means his perspective on the travel industry is, in a word, significant. Caribbean Travel Advisor caught up with Lovell to talk about the state of the Caribbean market, the region’s biggest trends and how the landscape is changing for travel advisors — for the better.

Where do you see the broader travel market right now?

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Frontier Launches Eight New Nonstop Flights to Puerto Rico 

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Loveland offers pools and other spots to cool down as summer begins

Jun. 5—With spring in the rear view mirror, opportunities to cool off in the water are rising along with the temperature.

After reaching 95 degrees on Wednesday, highs of 91 for Thursday and 92 for Friday are forecast this week, but fortunately, the Winona Pool opened for the summer on Memorial Day, giving Lovelanders a great opportunity to beat the heat.

It will remain open until Labor Day.

The pool is open between noon and 7 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, and between noon and 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.

Day passes for adults at Winona Pool cost $6.50 each, or visitors can purchase 10- or 20-visit punch passes for $58 and $111, respectively.

Those over the age of 62 can get a day pass for $5.75, or a 10- or 20-punch pass for $52 and $98.

Those under the age of 17 get a discount as well, with a greater one for toddlers, for whom a day pass only costs $4.50.

Infants under 2 years old swim for free, assuming they're accompanied by a paying adult.

The pool is a popular one, particularly because of its variety. It boasts a diving board, water slide and rock climbing wall directly adjacent to the water.

Ollie Gentry and Ayden Calvillo, both 13 years old, came all the way from Greeley to visit the pool Wednesday. Megan Gerhardt brought her family to celebrate her son Mavryx's eighth birthday.

Susan Foos and Kristin Siecgrist, two group leaders for the King's Kids Summer Camp, organized by Immanuel Lutheran Church and School, brought roughly 40 kids to Winona to enjoy the summer weather Friday.

"It's close by, the facility is great," Foos said. "It's got a lot of variety, the slide, the diving board."

The Loveland Swim Beach located at North Lake Park, 2626 N. Taft Ave., will open to the public on Saturday, June 8, giving swimmers another option to stay cool.

Members at the Chilson Recreation Center still have access to the two indoor pools at the facility, one a lap pool with lanes available by appointment as well as a leisure pool for more casual swims.

Splash pads can be found at Foundry Plaza downtown, Loveland Sports Park and Fairgrounds Park, and Mehaffey Park also has a water feature where people can cool down.

(c)2024 Loveland Reporter-Herald, Colo. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Naval Intelligence Senior Leaders Travel to Belgium, Italy and Germany for Strategic Engagements

Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence (DDNI) Mr. Steve Parode and Assistant Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence (ADDNI) Ms. Sandra Brown traveled to Belgium, Italy and Germany May 19-24 for strategic engagements with key European partners.

The trip centered on increasing engagement with long-established allied member nations through enhanced information sharing, regional security cooperation, and cooperation in new domains.

The international trip began in Brussels where DDNI and ADDNI met with Mr. Scott Bray, NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security to discuss threat vulnerabilities and strengthening intelligence cooperation with NATO.

DDNI and ADDNI then travelled to Italy where they visited U.S. 6th Fleet leadership to discuss multi-domain intelligence capabilities and operational priorities.

The next stop was NATO’s Joint Force Command Naples where DDNI and ADDNI were briefed by American military members on NATO operational priorities in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and established a common understanding of maritime security.

DDNI closed out his international trip in Stuttgart, Germany where he met with European Command intelligence leaders to discuss threat warning priorities and processes for intelligence dissemination in response to Russian aggression in Europe.

Meetings and engagements like these with international Navy and Intelligence counterparts furthers understanding and deepens the partnerships that are essential to ensuring global security.

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Airfare costs expected to rise, expert shares what travelers need to know to save

Brian Kelly breaks down news from the International Air Transport Association.

Aviation industry executives gathered in Dubai for the annual International Air Transport Association meeting this week, where they revealed that despite record high profit projections, airfare will continue to climb in the coming months.

The Associated Press first reported the trade group's pricing prediction, which the group says is partly due to global inflation and long-term recovery from massive groundings during the pandemic, paired with additional expenses and overhead -- including high fuel prices -- that will push passenger ticket prices higher.

Bucket list travel on a budget: Expert tips for airfare, loyalty programs, credit card perks and more

Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy, joined "Good Morning America" on Tuesday to break down the top takeaways American travelers need to know, plus ways to keep saving where possible.

"There's good news and bad news today. The good news is in the U.S., our airfare has come down 9%. And we're looking at pre-pandemic levels," Kelly said of the current prices. "The bad news is the airlines are still making record profits and they're doing that because they're sneaky. They're finding ways to charge more for what we already pay for. Most of the major airlines are now charging more for checked bags."

Expert tips to save on airfare as prices continue to rise

"I highly recommend to consumers, if you fly the same airline and check bags once a year, getting that airline co-branded [credit] card could save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars," Kelly said. "Do not pay the hundreds in bag fees when a credit card that's $95 can save you money for you and all your companions."

Flexibility is key when it comes to finding deals, and Kelly reiterated the Goldilocks method that people should use to find the best booking window -- not too far in advance and not too last minute.

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"There's a sweet spot ... everyone who wants to find a cheap fare, you need to learn to use Google Flights," Kelly said, adding that it helps people easily compare and shop, set alerts and reverse engineer flight booking plans.

He recommended another site, point.me, which he described as "kind of like Google Flights but for award tickets" to be able to use miles instead of cash.

"So if you've got Amex points or Chase points, it will tell you how to transfer the points. The foreign frequent flyer programs are where the best deals are," he said.

More tips to find the best fares:

• Fly in the morning
• Book in advance
• Fly midweek

Kelly also noted that timing is slightly different for domestic and international travel.

"For international airfare, you're looking two to three months [out] minimum," he said. "When you start booking last-minute international, that's when the prices sky rocket."

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D-Day 80th anniversary in Normandy

By Joshua Berlinger, Antoinette Radford, Shania Shelton and Kyle Feldscher, CNN

Our live coverage of the 80th anniversary of D-Day has ended. Read more about D-Day here or scroll through the posts on today's events below.

French President Emmanuel Macron: "Let us be worthy of those who landed here"

From CNN's Joshua Berlinger and Emmanuel Miculita in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron closed the international ceremony marking 80 years since D-Day with a speech honoring the soldiers who fought in the largest seaborne invasion in human history and, as other leaders have done throughout the day, drawing parallels to the current geopolitical unrest — most notably the war in Ukraine.

Perhaps the strongest part of Macron's speech was its end, in which he honored Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who was in attendance — and the Ukrainian people's fight against Russia.

"Faced with the return of war to our continent, faced with the questioning of everything they fought for, faced with those who claim to change borders by force or rewrite history, let us be worthy of those who landed here. Your presence here today, Mr. President of Ukraine, says it all,” Macron said, followed by a brief interruption of the roar of a fighter jet flyover.

Europe has not seen the type of ground conflict that is raging in Ukraine since the end of World War II, and this year’s anniversary comes as Russian forces advance on the battlefield – handing Kyiv a series of tactical defeats and poking holes in the already fragile Western alliance opposed to the Kremlin’s war.

"We know that liberty is a fight for every morning," Macron added. "For everyone in this world that lives hoping for liberty, for equality, for fraternity the sixth of June is a day without end, a never-ending dawn."

World War II veteran dies while traveling to France for D-Day anniversary

From CNN’s Dakin Andone

Robert Persichitti, a 102-year-old World War II US Navy veteran, died last week while on his way to France to commemorate  the 80th anniversary of D-Day , according to Honor Flight Rochester, a veterans organization.

Persichitti was a “wonderful, pleasant, humble guy,” who was “easy to talk to,” said Honor Flight Rochester President and CEO Richard Stewart, who told CNN he learned of his friend’s death last Friday.

“We miss him,” said Stewart.

While Persichitti passed away bound for Normandy — where the Allied forces’  landing on June 6, 1944 , laid the foundation for the defeat of Nazi Germany — he served in the Pacific as a radioman aboard the USS Eldorado, Stewart said. His tour of duty included Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Guam, according to Stewart and  the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame , into which Persichitti was inducted in 2020.

Persichitti fell ill last week during a stop in Germany while headed for Normandy, Al DeCarlo, a friend who was traveling with Persichitti, told  CNN affiliate WHAM . Persichitti was airlifted to the hospital and died soon after, DeCarlo said.

“The doctor was with him. He was not alone, he was at peace and he was comfortable,” DeCarlo said. “She put his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, on her phone and he peacefully left us.”

Persichitti had heart problems in the past, “but for 102, I would say he was in superb health,” Stewart told CNN.

Persichitti was born in a coal mining town outside Pittsburgh, Stewart said, describing his friend's “humble, poor beginnings.” After the war, Persichitti worked as a carpentry teacher in Rochester, New York, according to the Veterans Hall of Fame, and in 1972 received a degree from SUNY Buffalo.

Trump posts tribute on 80th anniversary of D-Day landings in Normandy

From CNN's Kate Sullivan

Former US President Donald Trump on Thursday posted a tribute to the “immortal heroes who landed at Normandy” to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. 

“Today, we honor the immortal heroes who landed at Normandy 80 years ago. The men of D-Day will live forever in history as among the bravest, noblest, and greatest Americans ever to walk the earth. They shed their blood, and thousands gave their lives, in defense of American Freedom. They are in our hearts today and for all time,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

France's Macron awards 3 more people the Legion of Honor

From CNN's Emmanuel Miculita and Joshua Berlinger in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron used the international ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day to award the Legion of Honor, France's highest military or civilian distinction, to three more American veterans: Joseph Miller, Richard Calvin Rung and Arlester Brown.

Earlier in the day, Macron awarded the Legion of Honor to Christian Lamb , a 104-year-old British woman credited with having made the maps for the D-Day landing, and 11 other American veterans.

Testimonials and musical performances are taking place during international ceremony

As the international ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Omaha Beach is underway, testimonials from those who fought in the war are currently being read out.

Along with the testimonials, musical performances are demonstrated in front of attendees.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to deliver an address later during the ceremony.

Austin says "Ukraine matters" in the midst of D-Day ceremonies

From CNN's Shania Shelton

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Russia's war in Ukraine while participating in D-Day ceremonies, telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer that "Ukraine matters."

"I have engaged members of Congress on both sides, in both parties. I have seen throughout strong support for Ukraine, and even though it took a while to get the legislation through, I was confident that that the right thing was going to happen."

He continued, "Because anytime you see that type of support on both sides of the aisle for a cause, Congress will find a way to get things done, which is what they did in this case, because it's the right thing to do."

The international ceremony is underway

From CNN's Josh Berlinger in Paris

The international ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Omaha Beach has begun.

More than 20 heads of state and government and representatives from royal families across Europe are in attendance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives at international ceremony to standing ovation

From CNN's Joshua Berlinger in Paris

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at Thursday's international ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day to a standing ovation and a rousing applause.

Zelensky's presence — and Russian leader Vladimir Putin's absence, despite Soviet Russia's key role in winning the war in Europe — is highly symbolic given how the war in Ukraine is casting a shadow over the day's events.

Several world leaders have already used their speeches to cast parallels between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the aggression of Nazi Germany that sparked World War II.

Watch the moment here:

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South Korean, Chinese and Japanese leaders discuss thorny topics and ways to boost cooperation

Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet in Seoul on Monday for their first trilateral talks in more than four years. (AP video shot by Yong-ho Kim)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, left, waves to media members before getting into a car as Kim Hong-kyun, right, South Korean 1st vice foreign minister, follows behind at the Seoul airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024, as the premier arrives for a trilateral meeting. Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week in Seoul for their first trilateral talks since 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang waves as he arrives for a trilateral meeting at the Seoul airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week in Seoul for their first trilateral talks since 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, second right, is welcomed by Kim Hong-kyun, right, South Korean 1st vice minister, as the premier arrives for a trilateral meeting, at the Seoul airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week in Seoul for their first trilateral talks since 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Qiang before their meeting in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, center left, is welcomed by Kim Hong-kyun, right, South Korean 1st vice foreign minister, as the premier arrives for a trilateral meeting at the Seoul airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week in Seoul for their first trilateral talks since 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives for a trilateral meeting, at the Seoul airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week in Seoul for their first trilateral talks since 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, second from right, speaks to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, second from left, during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang waves to media members upon his arrival for trilateral meetings at the Seoul airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week in Seoul for their first trilateral talks since 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, third left, holds a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, third right, in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang waves to media members before getting into a car as Kim Hong-kyun, right, South Korean 1st vice foreign minister, follows behind at the Seoul airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024, as the premier arrives for a trilateral meeting. Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week in Seoul for their first trilateral talks since 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gesture during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida move their positions during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Japanese and South Korean leaders raised sensitive topics like Taiwan, North Korea and the South China Sea as well as ways to boost cooperation when they individually met China’s premier Sunday on the eve of a fuller trilateral meeting.

It was unclear how serious discussions the three leaders had on those thorny issues, which are not among the official agenda items for Monday’s three-way gathering in Seoul, the first of its kind in more than four years.

No major announcement is expected from the meeting, but observers say that just resuming the highest-level talks among the three Northeast Asian neighbors is a good sign and suggests they are intent on improving relations. Their trilateral meeting was supposed to happen annually but it had stalled since the last one in December 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and complex ties among the three countries.

After meeting Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that he expressed serious concerns about the situations in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and China’s northwestern Xinjiang region. He said Japan is closely monitoring developments on self-governed Taiwan.

He referred to China’s military assertiveness in the South China Sea, clampdowns of pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong and human rights abuses against minorities in Xinjiang. Last week, China also launched a large military exercise around Taiwan to show its anger over the inauguration of the island’s new president who refuses to accept its insistence that Taiwan is part of China.

During a separate meeting with Li, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, on his part, asked China, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, to contribute to promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula, while speaking about North Korea’s nuclear program and its deepening military ties with Russia, according to Yoon’s office.

Yoon’s office said Yoon and Kishida in their separate meeting expressed worries about North Korea’s nuclear program and agreed to strengthen their cooperation with the United States.

South Korea, Japan and the U.S. have long urged China — North Korea’s major ally and economic pipeline — to use its leverage to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions. But China is suspected of avoiding fully enforcing U.N. sanctions on North Korea and sending clandestine aid shipments to help its impoverished neighbor stay afloat.

The three leaders also discussed how to bolster economic and other cooperation.

Yoon and Li agreed to launch a new South Korean-Chinese dialogue channel involving senior diplomats and defense officials in mid-June. They also agreed to restart negotiations to expand the free trade agreement and reactivate dormant bodies on personnel exchanges, investments and other issues, according to Yoon’s office.

Chinese state media reported Li told Yoon that the two countries should safeguard the stability of their deeply intertwined industrial and supply chains and resist turning economic and trade issues into political and security-related issues.

Kishida said he and Li reaffirmed Japan and China will seek progress on various areas to promote mutually beneficial relations. Kishida and Yoon also said they agreed to further strengthen ties, which have warmed significantly since last year following an earlier setback over issues related to Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean officials said that a joint statement after Monday’s trilateral meeting will cover the leaders’ discussion on cooperation in areas like people-to-people exchanges, climate change, trade, health issues, technology and disaster responses.

The three Asian nations are important trading partners and their cooperation is key to promoting regional peace and prosperity. They together make up about 25% of global gross domestic product. But the three countries have been repeatedly embroiled in bitter disputes over a range of historical and diplomatic issues originating from Japan’s wartime atrocities. China’s rise and a U.S. push reinforce its Asian alliances have also significantly impacted their three-way ties in recent years.

Experts say South Korea, China and Japan now share a need to improve ties. South Korea and Japan want better ties with China because it is their biggest trading partner. China, for its part, likely believes a further strengthening of the South Korea-Japan-U.S. cooperation would hurt its national interests.

China, meanwhile, has always sent its premier, the country’s No. 2 official, to the trilateral leaders’ meeting since its first session in 2008. Observers say China earlier argued that under then-collective leadership, its premier was chiefly in charge of economic affairs and best suited to attend the meeting, which largely focuses on economic issues.

But they say China may face more demands for President Xi Jinping to attend because he has concentrated power in his hands and defied the norms of collective leadership.

Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Simina Mistreanu in Taipei, Taiwan contributed to this report.